Is adjuvant chemotherapy necessary for locally advanced rectal cancer patients with pathological complete response after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and radical surgery? A systematic review and meta-analysis

Purpose Current clinical guidelines recommended the routine use of adjuvant chemotherapy for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) patients. However, the effects of adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with pathological complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and radical surgery showed discrepancies in different investigations.