Rectal cancer: developments in multidisciplinary treatment, quality control and European collaboration

Abstract

In the last two decades, treatment of rectal cancer has considerably improved in Europe. Although this applies to most solid malignancies, improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of rectal cancer surpass virtually all others. In the early 1990s, outcome after rectal cancer treatment was poor, with survival and recurrence rates of approximately 45%.1 Nowadays, survival after rectal cancer is sometimes even better than after colon cancer.2 While radiotherapy and chemoradiotherapy play an important role in the current, multidisciplinary treatment of rectal cancer, surgery remains the inevitable cornerstone for cure. For each and every improvement in surgical techniques, (neo)adjuvant treatment schedules, imaging and pathology, clinical trials and population-based audit registrations have played a crucial role. The aim of this thesis is to contribute to further improvements in rectal cancer treatment by investigating the multidisciplinary treatment forms, quality control and European collaboration