Impact of adjuvant chemotherapy after neoadjuvant radio- or radiochemotherapy for patients with locally advanced rectal cancer

Background Due to its primarily extraperitoneal location, potential affection of the anorectal continence and different metastatic behavior the rectal carcinoma (RC) is classified and treated as an independent disease. Over the past few decades various trials have led to improved multimodal therapies (including radiation, chemotherapy and surgery) for locally advanced rectal cancer and significant changes in the management of this disease whereas the benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy remains unclear.