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World J Gastrointest Surg. Sep 27, 2026; 18(9): 121131
Published online Sep 27, 2026. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.121131
Published online Sep 27, 2026. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.121131
Matched analysis of long-term oncological outcomes between watch-and-wait strategy and radical surgery after neoadjuvant therapy for rectal cancer
Zi-Jun Li, Department of Medical Oncology, Jiujiang City Key Laboratory of Cell Therapy, Jiujiang No. 1 People’s Hospital, Jiujiang 332000, Jiangxi Province, China
Ke Zhang, General Surgery Center, Jiujiang City Key Laboratory of Cell Therapy, Jiujiang No. 1 People’s Hospital, Jiujiang 332000, Jiangxi Province, China
Author contributions: Li ZJ responsible for research design, data collection, statistical analysis, and manuscript drafting; Zhang K provided guidance for this study and reviewed the final draft; and all authors have approved the final version of the manuscript.
AI contribution statement: The authors declare that no AI tools were used in the development or writing of this manuscript and take full responsibility for its integrity, accuracy, and originality.
Institutional review board statement: This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Jiujiang No. 1 People’s Hospital, approval No. JJSDYRMYY-YXLL-121.
Informed consent statement: Signed informed consent was obtained from all participants and their legal guardians.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement-checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement-checklist of items.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Corresponding author: Ke Zhang, Associate Chief Physician, General Surgery Center, Jiujiang City Key Laboratory of Cell Therapy, Jiujiang No. 1 People’s Hospital, No. 48 Taling South Road, Xunyang District, Jiujiang 332000, Jiangxi Province, China. cole66866@126.com
Received: April 22, 2026
Revised: May 23, 2026
Accepted: July 7, 2026
Published online: September 27, 2026
Processing time: 145 Days and 22.6 Hours
Revised: May 23, 2026
Accepted: July 7, 2026
Published online: September 27, 2026
Processing time: 145 Days and 22.6 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This study compared long-term oncological outcomes between the watch-and-wait strategy and radical surgery in 100 rectal cancer patients with clinical complete response after neoadjuvant therapy. Results showed comparable 3-year disease-free survival, overall survival, and recurrence rates, while watch-and-wait conferred better quality of life, supporting watch-and-wait as a safe organ-preserving option.