Beschreibung:
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title>
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<jats:title>Learning Objectives</jats:title>
<jats:p>After completing this course, the reader will be able to: Describe present strategies of treatment of locally advanced rectal cancer and ongoing clinical trials, including neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy with 50.4 Gy and concomitant 5-FU +/− oxaliplatin.Define the basic clinical parameters, with special emphasis on gender and BMI, correlating with radiochemotherapy-associated side effects in rectal cancer patients and differences in severity of toxicity.</jats:p>
<jats:p>CME This article is available for continuing medical education credit at CME.TheOncologist.com</jats:p>
<jats:p>Patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (cUICC stages II/III) are typically treated with preoperative 5-fluorouracil–based (5-FU–based) radiochemotherapy (RCT). However, trials are currently being conducted to improve the complete remission rates and the systemic control by combining 5-FU with oxaliplatin. The primary objective was to identify the subgroups of rectal cancer patients who were at risk for high-grade toxicity.</jats:p>
<jats:p>All 196 patients who were included in the present study were treated with 50.4 Gy and chemotherapy that included either 5-FU (n = 115) or 5-FU+oxaliplatin (n = 81). The preoperative RCT was followed by a total mesorectal excision and adjuvant chemotherapy. Acute toxicity was monitored weekly and a toxicity grade ≥3 (Common Toxicity Criteria) for a skin reaction, cystitis, proctitis, or enteritis was defined as high-grade acute organ toxicity. After RCT with 5-FU+oxaliplatin, complete tumor remission was achieved in 13.6% of the patients and in 11.3% after RCT with 5-FU alone.</jats:p>
<jats:p>Complete irradiation dosages of 50.4 Gy were given to 99% (5-FU) and 95% (5-FU+oxaliplatin) of the patients. Concomitant chemotherapy was fully administered in 95% of the patients treated with 5-FU compared with the 84% of patients treated with 5-FU+oxaliplatin.</jats:p>
<jats:p>A significantly higher proportion of acute organ toxicity was found in the patients who were treated with 5-FU+oxaliplatin compared with those who were treated with 5-FU. Additionally, women with a low body mass index were at the highest risk for acute organ toxicity.</jats:p>
<jats:p>These results suggest that there are basic clinical parameters, such as gender and body mass index, that may be potential markers for generating individual risk profiles of RCT-induced toxicity.</jats:p>
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