Preoperative Radio-Chemotherapy in Anal Carcinoma

Squamous carcinomas of the anus are relatively radiosensitive. Therefore, the combination of radical surgical treatment with radiotherapy seems reasonable. Nigro et al. [4] added chemotherapy to this two-modality treatment. The rationale of adding cytotoxic medication was to potentiate the radiosensitivity of the tumor cells. After their first extraordinarily satisfying results sphincter-sacrificing operations could be postponed for most of their patients [5]. Meanwhile, several publications have reported excellent remission rates [1–3, 6, 7].