WATCH AND WAIT APPROACH IN RECTAL CANCER TREATMENT

\udThe colorectal carcinoma is the most common gastrointestinal neoplasm worldwide and in Bulgaria. The\udchoice of surgical treatment is often difficult, and organ-preserving surgery is not feasible. In borderline situations, when\udchoosing a surgical approach is difficult, the neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy may downsize the tumor and provide better\udresults and more surgical options. If the treatment response is partial or complete, the possibility of sphincter-sparing\udsurgery is increased. The aim of the study is to present a clinical case of a patient with rectal carcinoma, submitted to\udmultimodal treatment.\udCase report:\udThe presented patient is a 65-year old female, with disturbing symptoms and diagnosed rectal adeno-\udcarcinoma. The patient underwent preoperative neoadjuvant treatment. After a full course of treatment, the tumor\udwas resized and was reported an almost complete clinical response to the therapy. After the recommended period had\udended, she underwent an anterior resection of the rectum. This case is an example of the potential possibilities of a\udmultidisciplinary team in surgical oncology.\udConclusions:\udThere are certain criteria, regarding the “Watch and wait” approach in rectal carcinoma, and it subjected\udto a set of indications in the case of a complete or near complete response to the treatment. The current case is not the\udbrightest example of applying this approach, but still is a case of performing a sphincter-spearing surgery, which may\udlead to higher quality of life of the target patient group. The ESMO guidelines for the neoadjuvant treatment of rectal\udadenocarcinoma are applicable in Bulgaria