Preoperative infusional chemoradiation, selective intraoperative radiation, and resection for locally advanced pelvic recurrence of colorectal adenocarcinoma

Objective The results of preoperative infusional chemoradiation, resection, and selective intraoperative radiation (IORT) boost in 43 previously nonirradiated patients with locally advanced pelvic recurrence of colorectal adenocarcinoma are described. Summary Background Data After surgery alone, 10% to 30% of patients with carcinoma of the distal colon and rectum will develop isolated pelvic recurrence. In most cases, the disease is locally advanced and not amenable to curative resection. Preoperative infusional chemoradiation has been shown to increase resectability and decrease local recurrence in primary locally advanced colorectal cancer. Based on this experience, we initiated a multimodality treatment protocol to treat patients with pelvic recurrence of colorectal adenocarcinoma. Methods Forty-three consecutive patients with histologically proven pelvic recurrence of colorectal adenocarcinoma were enrolled on a multimodality treatment protocol. The treatment plan consisted of 5 weeks of concurrent pelvic external beam radiotherapy (45 Gy) with continuous intravenous infusion of 5-fluorouracil and/or cisplatin. This was followed by surgery that included IORT boost (10-20 Gy) for 21 patients and brachytherapy for 4 patients. Results Forty patients (93%) underwent operation and 33 (77%) underwent resection with curative intent. There were 29 (88%) margin-negative resections. Fifteen patients (48%) underwent sphincter-preserving operations. There were no treatment-related deaths. Twenty-two patients experienced perioperative complications. Median follow-up for the 43 patients was 26 months. The local recurrence rate was 36%. Median survival for the patients who underwent resection was 34 months, and actuarial 5-year disease-free and overall survival were 37% and 58%, respectively. Conclusions Tumor cytoreduction by preoperative chemoradiation can increase resectability and enable sphincter preserving surgery in patients with locally advanced pelvic recurrence of colorectal cancer.