twenty-seven patientswho received neoadjuvant chemotherapy were identified. Twenty-six anterior resections and one Hartmann intervention were performed. An R0 resection was performed in 27 (100%) patients and no involvement of the circumferential margin was observed. Complete pathologic response (ypT0N0) was confirmed in four (14.8%) patients. The median follow-up was 35 months (range 10-81) and four distant recurrences were recorded. Overall and disease-free survival at five years was 85% and 84.7%, respectively. Twenty-seven (100%) patients received all the cycles of chemotherapy, with a mean of six cycles (range 5-8) per patient.
CONCLUSIONS:
neoadjuvant chemotherapy is a promising alternative in the locally advanced rectal cancer setting and further phase III clinical trials are clearly warranted
