The management of rectal cancer is a major undertaking. There are currently multiple treatment modalities with variable degrees of complications. Radiotherapy (RT) is one of the more frequently used modalities either on its own or more frequently with chemotherapy mostly before the definitive surgery. The outcome of RT is unpredictable. RT has its serious side effects and there are no guarantees of its usefulness in all patients. This article outlines the effect of RT on the tumor, reviews the various staging systems of responses to RT and present recent evidence of which case is less responsive to such treatments to avoid unnecessary complications.
Introduction
RT Mechanism of Action
Histological Effect of RT on the Neoplastic Cells
Staging Systems
Types of Radiotherapy
Predictive Biomarkers for CRT in Rectal Cancer
Molecular Markers in Rectal Carcinoma
Conclusion
Conflict of Interest
References