Journal of International Oncology ›› 2026, Vol. 53 ›› Issue (4): 248-252.doi: 10.3760/cma.j.cn371439-20250727-00041

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Research progress on pathological response after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in locally advanced middle and low rectal cancer

Li Zhilei, Fang Jinman, Wei Dandan, Sun Ruixia, Zhang Yuanwei()   

  1. Gastrointestinal Cancer CenterHefei Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of SciencesHefei 230031, China
  • Received:2025-07-27 Online:2026-04-08 Published:2026-04-01
  • Contact: Zhang Yuanwei E-mail:zyuanwei@cmpt.ac.cn

Abstract:

Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced rectal cancer significantly downstages tumors, which can improve the rate of radical surgical resection and anal sphincter preservation, reduce the local recurrence rate, thereby improving patients' prognosis. However, there is currently a lack of effective methods to identify patients' response to neoadjuvant therapy. Studies have found that biological indicators such as hematological markers, tumor markers, nucleic acid markers, as well as tumor imaging characteristics, are associated with the sensitivity of neoadjuvant therapy for rectal cancer and can predict the sensitivity of preoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy.

Key words: Rectal neoplasms, Neoadjuvant therapy, Pathological complete response