Optimal timing for assessment of tumor response to neoadjuvant chemoradiation in patients with rectal cancer: do all patients benefit from waiting longer than 6 weeks?

Purpose: To estimate the metabolic activity of rectal cancers at 6 and 12 weeks after completion of chemoradiation therapy (CRT) by 2-[fluorine-18] fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose-labeled positron emission tomography/computed tomography ([(18)FDG]PET/CT) imaging and correlate with response to CRT.

Methods And Materials: Patients with cT2-4N0-2M0 distal rectal adenocarcinoma treated with long-course neoadjuvant CRT (54 Gy, 5-fluouracil-based) were prospectively studied (ClinicalTrials.org identifier NCT00254683).

Absence of lymph nodes in the resected specimen after radical surgery for distal rectal cancer and neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy: what does it mean?

Purpose: The number of retrieved lymph nodes during radical surgery has been considered of great importance to ensure adequate staging and radical resection. However, this finding may not be applicable after neoadjuvant therapy in which, not only is there a decrease in lymph nodes recovered, but also a subgroup of patients with absence of lymph nodes in the resected specimen.

Methods: Patients with absence of lymph nodes were compared with patients with ypN0 disease and patients with ypN+ disease.

Adenocarcinoma after ileoanal anastomosis for familial adenomatous polyposis: review of risk factors and current surveillance apropos of a case.

Restorative proctocolectomy has become the most common surgical option for familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) patients, based on the premise that it provides good functional results and reduces colorectal cancer risk. But several adenomas may develop in the pouch mucosa over the years, and even cancer at the anastomosis or in the pouch mucosa has been reported rarely. This article aims to describe a case of pouch cancer after restorative proctocolectomy for FAP, reviewing the possible causes of this unfortunate outcome.