Copyright
©The Author(s) 2020. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Aug 7, 2020; 26(29): 4218-4239
Published online Aug 7, 2020. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v26.i29.4218
Published online Aug 7, 2020. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v26.i29.4218
Watch and wait approach in rectal cancer: Current controversies and future directions
Fernando López-Campos, Margarita Martín-Martín, José Domínguez-Rullán, Asunción Hervás-Morón, Department of Radiation Oncology, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Madrid 28034, Spain
Roberto Fornell-Pérez, Department of Radiology, Hospital Universitario de Basurto, Bilbao 48013, Vizcaya, Spain
Juan Carlos García-Pérez, Javier Die-Trill, Department of Surgery, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Madrid 28034, Spain
Raquel Fuentes-Mateos, Reyes Ferreiro, Department of Medical Oncology, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Madrid 28034, Spain
Sergio López-Durán, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Madrid 28034, Spain
Alejandro Riquelme-Oliveira, Department of Medical Oncology, Hospital Infanta Cristina, Madrid 28034, Spain
Felipe Couñago, Department of Radiation Oncology, Hospital Universitario Quirónsalud, Madrid 28003, Spain
Felipe Couñago, Department of Radiation Oncology, Hospital La Luz, Madrid 28003, Spain
Felipe Couñago, Universidad Europea de Madrid (UEM), Madrid 28223, Spain
Author contributions: All authors contributed to this paper with conception and design of the manuscript, literature review and analysis, drafting and critical revision and editing, and final approval of the final version.
Conflict-of-interest statement: Authors declare no potential conflict of interests for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Asunción Hervás-Morón, MD, PhD, Staff Physician, Department of Radiation Oncology, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Carretera de Colmenar Viejo Km 9, 100, Madrid 28034, Spain. hervasmoron@gmail.com
Received: March 30, 2020
Peer-review started: March 30, 2020
First decision: April 25, 2020
Revised: April 25, 2020
Accepted: July 22, 2020
Article in press: July 22, 2020
Published online: August 7, 2020
Processing time: 130 Days and 0.9 Hours
Peer-review started: March 30, 2020
First decision: April 25, 2020
Revised: April 25, 2020
Accepted: July 22, 2020
Article in press: July 22, 2020
Published online: August 7, 2020
Processing time: 130 Days and 0.9 Hours
Core Tip
Core tip: The Watch and wait strategy in selected patients with locally-advanced rectal cancer is associated with lower morbidity and better quality of life than conventional treatment, with good cancer control. Given the growing relevance of this strategy, which is increasingly being used at international centres of reference, a comprehensive review of the available data is needed. In addition, there are several open questions and controversies about this strategy that can only be resolved by an in-depth analysis and consensus among the specialists involved in treating these patients.