Rectal Cancer: Multimodal Treatment Approach

Colorectal cancer is a major health problem. More than 1 million patients worldwide are diagnosed annually. It is the 3rd most common cancer type and about half a million people die of the disease each year. Incidence suggests that eating habits, lifestyle, and environmental parameters, beyond genetic background, are responsible for the disease progression. The treatment of rectal cancer has changed over the last two decades as far as surgical techniques, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy are concerned. From carcinogenesis and screening to the improvement of diagnosis and from tumor staging to the multimodal treatment approach, several fields of the management of rectal cancer as an entity have been significantly developed over the last years. Effective surgery, neoadjuvant radiotherapy, and modern cytotoxic chemotherapy have improved survival rates [1, 2].