The effect of concurrent chemotherapy with postoperative radiotherapy on the survival rate of patients with rectal cancer in northwest Iran: a retrospective analysis

Abstract

Introduction: Rectal cancer is one of the most common types of cancer. Standard treatment regimens for this type of cancer mainly include fluorouracil or capecitabine. The main problem of surgery in cancer treatment is the impossibility of removing all cancer cells, which can be solved with radiotherapy or chemotherapy after surgery. Studies have shown that the simultaneous use of chemotherapy and radiotherapy can have an increasing role in cancer treatment.Aim: The effect of concurrent chemotherapy with postoperative radiotherapy on the survival rate of patients with rectal cancer in northwest Iran: a retrospective analysis.Materials and Methods: The files of patients with rectal cancer in a ten-year period from medical centers under the supervision of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences were reviewed. The demographic characteristics of the patients were recorded and their survival rates were followed up by phone calls. Finally, with statistical analysis, the effect of radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy on the survival rate was measured.Results: The survival rate in patients with rectal cancer who underwent radiotherapy after surgery along with receiving a chemotherapy regimen (chemoradiotherapy) containing fluorouracil or capecitabine is higher than patients who were only treated with radiotherapy after surgery. Also, no significant difference was observed in the survival rate of patients who received drug regimen containing fluorouracil compared to patients receiving capecitabine.Conclusion: The use of chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy after surgery, by increasing the sensitivity of tumor cells to radiation by drugs, has a significant effect on increasing the survival of patients with rectal cancer.