Immunotherapy and radiotherapy for older patients with locally advanced rectal cancer unfit for surgery or decline surgery: a practical proposal by the International Geriatric Radiotherapy Group

• DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1325610
• Publication Date: 2024-02-23T09:18:46Z
• Authors: Nam P. Nguyen; Mohammad Mohammad...; Arthur SunMyint; Brandi R. Page; Vincent Vinh-Hung; Olena Gorobets; Meritxell Arenas; Thandeka Mazibuko; Huan Giap; Maria Vasileiou; Fabien Dutheil; Carmelo Tuscano; ULF Lennart Karlsson; Zineb Dahbi; Elena Natoli; Eric Li; Lyndon Kim; Joan Oboite; Eromosele Oboite; Satya Bose; Te Vuong
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; Cancer Research; 03 medical and health sciences; Oncology; locally advanced; older; CPI; Neoplasms. Tumors. Oncology. Including cancer and carcinogens; rectal cancer; radiotherapy; RC254-282

The standard of care for locally advanced rectal cancer is total neoadjuvant therapy followed by surgical resection. Current evidence suggests that selected patients may be able to delay or avoid surgery without affecting survival rates if they achieve a complete clinical response (CCR). However, older who are too frail decline the procedure, local recurrence lead deterioration patient quality life. Thus, clinicians, treatment algorithm which well tolerated and improve CCR in with potential prolonged remission cure. Recently, immunotherapy check point inhibitors (CPI) promising high expression program death ligands receptor 1 (PD- L1). Radiotherapy enhance PD-L1 rate immunotherapy. We propose an combining radiotherapy surgery.