RESUMEN
We present a case report of a 73-year-old male patient with a complete clinical response following neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy of mid-rectal adenocarcinoma. The patient was initially diagnosed with stage IIIB microsatellite stable mid-rectal adenocarcinoma in February 2017. During restaging in June 2017, which included rectoscopy, endosonography, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, a complete clinical response was observed. After appropriate consultation, a watch-and-wait strategy was chosen. During stringent follow-up every 3 months for the first 3 years and thereafter every 6 months, no recurrence or regrowth was observed. After the fifth year of complete clinical response, we recommended an annual follow-up. As of November 2023, the patient has no signs of recurrence or late toxicity after radiochemotherapy. The omission of resection in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer and the establishment of a watch-and-wait strategy are currently under discussion as possible treatment courses in patients with complete clinical response. Long-term data on watch-and-wait strategies for patients with a complete clinical response in locally advanced rectal cancer are rare. A clear national and international accepted standardization of follow-up programs for patients managed by a watch-and-wait strategy in the long-term is missing. Here, we report the case of a patient who had undergone a follow-up program for more than five years and discuss the current literature. Our case report and literature review highlights that a watch-and-wait strategy does not seem to increase the risk of systemic disease or compromise survival outcomes in selected locally advanced rectal cancer patients. Thus, our case contributes to the growing body of knowledge on personalized and precision medicine for rectal cancer.
RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy (nRCT) followed by surgery has become the gold standard treatment in patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer. The pathological response is an important predictor in such patients. This work represents a single-center analysis investigating the impact of pathological complete response (pCR) on treatment outcome. METHODS: All patients treated with nRCT followed by surgery between January 2005 and December 2015 were reviewed. The patients were categorized into two groups according to the pathological response following nRCT: pCR group and non-pCR group. RESULTS: Fifty-six patients with invasive cancer, 23 patients (41.1%) achieved pCR and 33 patients had non-pCR (58.9%) following nRCT. The average age was 62 years (±9.1), and most patients were males (83.9%). Histological types included squamous cell carcinoma (75%) and adenocarcinoma (25%). The total radiation dose was 45 Gy in 76.8% of the patients and 50.4 Gy in 23.2%. The median overall survival (OS) of the entire group was 3.5±1.2 years, and the 5-year OS rate was 38.2%, while the median disease-free survival (DFS) was 2.1±0.4 years and the 5-year DFS rate was 33.1%. The patients who achieved pCR had significantly higher 5-year OS and 5-year DFS rates: 47.2% and 48% compared to 27.3% and 21% for the non-pCR patients respectively (P=0.04, 0.03). The median time of local recurrence was 3.8±0.4 years in pCR group and 1.8±0.2 years in non-pCR group (P=0.01), while the median time of distant metastases in pCR group was 1.2±0.5 years and 1.1±0.2 years in non-pCR group (P=0.6). CONCLUSIONS: Complete pathological response predicts significantly higher rates of OS and DFS in patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer treated with nRCT followed by surgery.