Two-week preoperative therapy shows comparable efficacy with less toxicity in rectal cancer

A two-week hypofractionated chemoradiotherapy regimen yielded similar tumor responses to conventional long-course treatment in locally advanced rectal cancer. Analyses showed comparable rates of downstaging and tumor response between the two approaches. Notably, the two-week regimen significantly reduced gastrointestinal toxicity, with only 5.8% experiencing grade 2 or higher complications versus 13.2% in the standard group. This trial supports shorter treatment durations without sacrificing efficacy.