Adjuvant chemotherapy improves outcomes in rectal cancer patients.

In patients with locally advanced rectal cancer, adjuvant chemotherapy significantly reduces the risk of mortality and locoregional recurrence after neoadjuvant treatment and proctectomy. Among 746 patients studied, those with a complete total mesorectal excision (TME) showed a 73% lower risk of mortality and an 88% reduction in locoregional recurrence when receiving adjuvant chemotherapy. Noncomplete TME patients displayed similar rates of chemotherapy receipt but lacked sufficient data for recurrence analysis, suggesting a potential gap in treatment strategies.