Locally advanced rectal carcinoma: preoperative radiotherapy versus postoperative chemoradiation, 10-year follow-up results of a randomized clinical study.

Purpose: A prospective study was designed to randomize locally advanced rectal carcinoma patients between either preoperative radiotherapy (±postoperative chemotherapy) or postoperative adjuvant chemoradiation. Two end points were evaluated, local recurrence and survival, aiming at defining prognostic parameters that can help in the choice of the optimum treatment modality. Patients and Methods: This is a prospective random