The effects of chemoradiotherapy in IIA（T3N0M0）rectosigmoid junction cancer : a population-based study

Abstract Objective The use of adjuvant chemoradiotherapy in the treatment of stage IIA (T3N0M0) rectosigmoid junction cancer remains a topic of debate. To address this issue, we conducted a study to evaluate the impact of chemoradiotherapy on cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS) in patients diagnosed with stage IIA rectosigmoid junction cancer patients. Methods The study analyzed data from patients diagnosed with stage IIA rectosigmoid junction cancer between 2010 and 2016, using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. The researchers then divided the patients into low-risk and high-risk groups based on various prognostic factors. Kaplan-Meier analysis was employed to evaluate the impact of chemoradiotherapy on CSS and OS in these patient groups. Results Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that chemotherapy was significantly beneficial for CSS in all patients with stage IIA rectosigmoid junction cancer, while it only had a significant impact on OS in the high-risk group. Furthermore, the addition of radiotherapy to chemotherapy didn’t demonstrate any significant improvement in OS or CSS in all patients with stage IIA rectosigmoid junction cancer. Conclusion In the treatment of IIA rectosigmoid junction cancer patients, chemotherapy is generally recommended. However, the addition of radiotherapy doesn’t appear to improve OS and CSS in these patients.