Radiotherapy (RT) is a potentially effective method in the treatment of symptoms of rectal carcinomas. Nevertheless, almost all the evidences about palliative RT in rectal cancer have been published more than two decades ago and were based on 2D conventional RT, which is nowadays no longer used. Consequently, prospective studies on the efficacy of 3D-RT in the management of symptomatic rectal cancer are still lacking. The aim of this prospective study was to assess the efficacy of palliative short-course 3D RT (SCRT) in patients with symptomatic obstructive rectal cancer.
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Change of the obstructive symptoms
Timeframe: Clinical evaluation was performed before commencement of RT, 4 weeks after the end of treatment and every 6 months until the established length of follow up (3 years) or death.