[Neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy for locally advanced rectal cancer].

Not only the improvement of overall survival, but also the control of local recurrence, a unique type of recurrence, is an important issue in the treatment of advanced local rectal cancer. Total mesorectal excision is internationally accepted to be a standard procedure that lowers the rate of local recurrence. In 1999, the National Institutes of Health in the United States recommended "resection plus postoperative chemoradiotherapy" as the standard treatment for pathological stage II and III rectal cancer.