Operative Trends Unchanged Despite Nonoperative Management Adoption in Rectal Cancer

A single institution retrospective analysis of rectal cancer cases before and after the adoption of a nonoperative “watch and wait” pathway found no significant increase in abdominoperineal resection for patients without a complete clinical response to neoadjuvant therapy. Although there was a higher rate of pathologic complete responses in the post-“watch and wait” period, restaging some patients with clinical near-complete responses may be necessary to balance outcomes.