Ono T, Koto M. Radical radiotherapy without surgical tumor resection for rectal cancer. World J Clin Oncol 2024; 15(11): 1390-1393 [DOI: 10.5306/wjco.v15.i11.1390]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Takashi Ono, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Doctor, Department of Radiation Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Yamagata University, 2-2-2 Iida-Nishi, Yamagata 990-9585, Japan. abc1123513@gmail.com
Research Domain of This Article
Oncology
Article-Type of This Article
Editorial
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (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/
World J Clin Oncol. Nov 24, 2024; 15(11): 1390-1393 Published online Nov 24, 2024. doi: 10.5306/wjco.v15.i11.1390
Radical radiotherapy without surgical tumor resection for rectal cancer
Takashi Ono, Masashi Koto
Takashi Ono, Masashi Koto, Department of Radiation Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Yamagata University, Yamagata 990-9585, Japan
Author contributions: Ono T designed the overall concept and outline of the manuscript, wrote, and edited the manuscript and review of literature; Koto M supervised the manuscript; all of the authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript to be published.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors report no relevant conflicts of interest 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: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Takashi Ono, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Doctor, Department of Radiation Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Yamagata University, 2-2-2 Iida-Nishi, Yamagata 990-9585, Japan. abc1123513@gmail.com
Received: August 23, 2024 Revised: September 19, 2024 Accepted: September 27, 2024 Published online: November 24, 2024 Processing time: 51 Days and 20.9 Hours
Abstract
In this editorial, I would like to comment on the article, recently published in the World Journal of Clinical Oncology. The article focuses on non-surgical treatments for locally recurrent rectal cancer, including the watch-and-wait (WW) strategy after total neoadjuvant therapy (TNT) and particle beam therapy. As treatment options for rectal cancer continue to evolve, the high complete response rate achieved with TNT has led to the development of a new non-surgical approach: WW. Chemoradiotherapy followed by consolidation chemotherapy, in particular, has a low rate of tumor growth and is a treatment aimed at achieving a cure without surgery. However, the risk of recurrence within two years is significant, necessitating careful follow-up. Establishing standardized follow-up methods that can be implemented by many physicians is essential. Carbon ion radiotherapy has demonstrated high local control with a low incidence of severe late toxicities, even after previous pelvic radiotherapy. While these new non-surgical curative treatments for rectal cancer require further investigation, future advancements in this field are anticipated.
Core Tip: This editorial focuses on non-surgical radical treatments for rectal cancer. Total neoadjuvant therapy has demonstrated a high complete response. This success has made the watch-and-wait strategy a viable option for some patients. However, establishing standardized follow-up methods is essential. Carbon ion radiotherapy has demonstrated high local control with a low incidence of severe late toxicities, even after previous pelvic radiotherapy. While these new non-surgical curative treatments for rectal cancer require further investigation, future advancements in this field are anticipated.
