Surgery alone may provide similar outcomes to neoadjuvant treatment for T3 rectal cancer.

Neoadjuvant treatment (NCRT) may not be necessary for all patients with T3 rectal cancer. This study compared the outcomes of patients with mid-low rectal cancer treated with either surgery alone or NCRT followed by surgery. After analyzing 1,509 patients, the study found that surgery alone provided similar long-term outcomes to NCRT followed by surgery. While NCRT offered advantages in sphincter-preserving surgery and tumor downstaging, it also resulted in a higher rate of enterostomies. Therefore, NCRT may lead to overtreatment in some patients.