Monthly tegafur–uracil maintenance for increasing relapse-free survival in ypStage III rectal cancer patients after preoperative radiotherapy radical resection and 12 postoperative chemotherapy cycles: a retrospective study

摘要

BackgroundCurrent advancements in neoadjuvant therapy and total mesorectal excision have engendered increased local control. However, the survival benefit of preoperative radiotherapy (RT; 5 × 5 Gy) in rectal cancer patients remains inadequate, primarily because of systemic recurrence. In this retrospective single-center study, the effects of monthly tegafur–uracil maintenance (≥6 cycles) after 12 fluorouracil-based adjuvant chemotherapy cycles on 3-year relapse-free survival (RFS) was estimated in ypStage III rectal cancer patients.