We present a case of locally advanced rectal cancer with initial optimal local control after neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery; early liver recurrence then occurred and was treated again with curative intent with neoadjuvant combination chemotherapy followed by liver surgery. We reflect on this difficult problem and discuss relevant topics to this case report. Clinical caseA male of 56 years of age with clinical history of hyperuricemia and gout was hospitalised because of rectal bleeding. His symptoms had started two months prior, and he had been diagnosed with haemorrhoids.On admission, he had mild anemia. Blood chemistry and coagulation were normal. A full colonoscopy was performed, which detected a 5 cm long, non stenosing rectal tumour, starting after the dentate line, in addition to a sigmoid polyp. Biopsies revealed a rectal adenocarcinoma and a non dysplastic adenomatous polyp in sigmoid colon. Staging studies were completed with tumour markers (CEA and CA 19.9) measurement, echoendoscopy and a thoracic-abdominal-pelvic CT. Tumour markers values were within normal range, echoendoscopy showed a 6 cm long uT3N0 rectal cancer, and CT detected an eccentric thickening of the rectal wall, compatible with a rectal cancer with no lymph node or visceral involvement. Final diagnosis was a rectal adenocarcinoma located in the middle-inferior thirds, clinical stage T3 N0 M0 ( Figures. 1, 2).His clinical case was discussed shortly after in our Digestive Tumours Commitee, and neoadjuvant combined chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery were planned. The patient received capecitabine 900 mg/m2/12h d1-5/ 7d concurrent with radiotherapy, 45 Gy (180 cGy/d) [1]. Treatment was generally well tolerated, with moderate cystitis and mild epithelitis as major adverse effects. Reassessment after neoadjuvant treatment showed neither blood analysis abnormalities, nor CT suspicion of residual disease ( Figure. 3).

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