The role of chemotherapy in localized and locally advanced rectal cancer: A systematic revision

Despite a wide heterogeneity in the target population, different staging procedures and diverse treatment approaches among different trials, this systematic review confirms the role of ChT in combination with neoadjuvant long-course RT. Adjuvant ChT could be of value in selected patients with high-risk features, mainly if they do not respond to neoadjuvant RT. Further investigation is warranted on more intensified neoadjuvant regimens including ChT for MRI-defined high-risk patients.