Skip to main content
Journal of the National Medical Association logoLink to Journal of the National Medical Association
letter
. 1987 Jun;79(6):609–615.

Technique of Postoperative Pelvic Radiation in the Management of Rectal and Rectosigmoid Carcinoma

P Pradeep Kumar, Roger R Good, Scott H Plantz, Philip R Hynes
PMCID: PMC2625527  PMID: 3112415

Abstract

Improper postoperative pelvic radiation of 5,000 rad in five weeks results in poor patient tolerance, unacceptable complications, and increased local recurrence. Preoperative or postoperative low-dose pelvic radiation results in better tolerance; however, in patients with resectable adenocarcinoma of the rectum and rectosigmoid, low-dose radiation improves neither the local failure rate nor the survival rate compared with treatment by surgery alone. The authors' technique was to deliver 5,000 rad in six weeks only to the pelvic tissues at risk for recurrence following surgery.

Full text

PDF
609

Images in this article

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Fletcher G. H. Radiation and drug resistance of breast cancer. Am J Clin Oncol. 1984 Dec;7(6):617–624. doi: 10.1097/00000421-198412000-00007. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Gilbertsen V. A. Adenocarcinoma of the Rectum: Incidence and Locations of Recurrent Tumor Following Present-day Operations Performed for Cure. Ann Surg. 1960 Mar;151(3):340–348. doi: 10.1097/00000658-196003000-00007. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Gilbertsen V. A. Improving the prognosis for patients with intestinal cancer. Surg Gynecol Obstet. 1967 Jun;124(6):1253–1259. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Good R. R., Kumar P. P. The significance of incomplete resection and postoperative pelvic recurrence on the prognosis of rectosigmoid cancer. J Natl Med Assoc. 1986 Sep;78(9):843–846. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Gunderson L. L., Sosin H. Areas of failure found at reoperation (second or symptomatic look) following "curative surgery" for adenocarcinoma of the rectum. Clinicopathologic correlation and implications for adjuvant therapy. Cancer. 1974 Oct;34(4):1278–1292. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(197410)34:4<1278::aid-cncr2820340440>3.0.co;2-f. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Higgins G. A., Humphrey E. W., Dwight R. W., Roswit B., Lee L. E., Jr, Keehn R. J. Preoperative radiation and surgery for cancer of the rectum. Veterans Administration Surgical Oncology Group Trial II. Cancer. 1986 Jul 15;58(2):352–359. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19860715)58:2<352::aid-cncr2820580226>3.0.co;2-d. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Hoskins R. B., Gunderson L. L., Dosoretz D. E., Rich T. A., Galdabini J., Donaldson G., Cohen A. M. Adjuvant postoperative radiotherapy in carcinoma of the rectum and rectosigmoid. Cancer. 1985 Jan 1;55(1):61–71. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19850101)55:1<61::aid-cncr2820550111>3.0.co;2-z. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Kumar P. P., Good R. R., Hodgson P. E., Edney J. A., Jones E. O., Chu W. K., McAnulty B. E., Dunlap B., Rogers S. S., McCaul G. F. Intraoperative electron-beam facility at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Nebr Med J. 1986 Jun;71(6):191–198. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Marcus R. B., Jr, Million R. R., Cassissi N. J. Postoperative irradiation for squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck: analysis of time-dose factors related to control above the clavicles. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 1979 Nov-Dec;5(11-12):1943–1949. doi: 10.1016/0360-3016(79)90943-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Peters L. J., Fletcher G. H. Causes of failure of radiotherapy in head and neck cancer. Radiother Oncol. 1983 Aug;1(1):53–63. doi: 10.1016/s0167-8140(83)80007-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Pilipshen S. J., Heilweil M., Quan S. H., Sternberg S. S., Enker W. E. Patterns of pelvic recurrence following definitive resections of rectal cancer. Cancer. 1984 Mar 15;53(6):1354–1362. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19840315)53:6<1354::aid-cncr2820530623>3.0.co;2-j. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Rosenberg S. A. Combined modality therapy of cancer. What is it and when does it work? N Engl J Med. 1985 Jun 6;312(23):1512–1514. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198506063122309. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Turner S. S., Vieira E. F., Ager P. J., Alpert S., Efron G., Ragins H., Weil P., Ghossein N. A. Elective postoperative radiotherapy for locally advanced colorectal cancer. A preliminary report. Cancer. 1977 Jul;40(1):105–108. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(197707)40:1<105::aid-cncr2820400119>3.0.co;2-#. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Welch J. P., Donaldson G. A. The clinical correlation of an autopsy study of recurrent colorectal cancer. Ann Surg. 1979 Apr;189(4):496–502. doi: 10.1097/00000658-197904000-00027. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Zucali R., Gardani G., Volterrani F. Adjuvant postoperative radiotherapy in locally advanced rectal and rectosigmoidal cancer. Tumori. 1980 Oct 31;66(5):595–600. doi: 10.1177/030089168006600506. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of the National Medical Association are provided here courtesy of National Medical Association

RESOURCES