Watch-and-wait Approach for Clinical Complete Responders after Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy for Rectal Cancer

Abstract

Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by total mesorectal excision is the standard of care for locally advanced rectal cancer. The mean pathological complete response rate following neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy has been reported to be 12% to 16%. In clinical complete responders after neoadjuvant chemoradiation, a non-operative, watch-and-wait approach is thus proposed to allow for organ preservation. This paper reviews key studies of the watch-and-wait approach following neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for rectal cancer to determine its oncological outcomes and safety.