In a province-wide audit of patients undergoing treatment for rectal cancer in British Columbia in 1996, the 4-year rate of pelvic recurrence for stage 3 rectal cancer was 27%. The management guidelines were changed in 2002 to include adjuvant short-course preoperative radiation and total mesorectal excision surgical techniques. Education workshops were held to implement the protocol change.
We performed a provincial audit of rectal cancer cases for patients treated in the year after the protocol change, and we compared the pelvic recurrence rates with those from the audit performed in 1996.
During a 12-month period beginning Oct. 1, 2003, a total of 367 patients underwent radical resection of rectal cancer with a curative intent. Preoperative adjuvant radiotherapy was used in 54% of cases (197/367). Median follow-up was 34.5 months, and 91% of patients were followed for at least 2 years. Relative to the 1996 cohort, there was a decreasing trend in 2-year overall pelvic recurrence rates in the 2003/04 cohort (9.6% v. 6.9%) and a significant decrease in recurrence among patients with stage 3 cancers (18.2% v. 9.2%; p = 0.020). Use of adjuvant radiation increased significantly (37% v. 65%; p
Notes
Cites: Br J Surg. 2006 Oct;93(10):1215-2316983741
Cites: J Clin Oncol. 2005 Dec 20;23(36):9257-6416361623