Local recurrence after five years is associated with preoperative chemoradiotherapy treatment in patients diagnosed with stage II and III rectal cancer.

•Local recurrence after rectal cancer resection for stage II and III was diagnosed significantly later after preoperative chemoradiotherapy.•The benefit of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in local control of stage II and III rectal cancer was lower at 120 months as compared to 60 months.•Follow-up longer than 5 years is needed for evaluating definitive results in patients treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiation.