Radiation Therapy in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Rectal Cancer

Sudha Amarnath, MD of Cleveland Clinic discusses toxicity and efficacy outcomes of preoperative pelvic radiation therapy in patients with inflammatory bowel disease and rectal cancer. 

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Preoperative pelvic radiation (XRT), with or without concurrent chemotherapy, is safe and effective in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and locally advanced rectal cancer, according to Cleveland Clinic research presented at the 2019 American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) annual meeting.

IBD is a risk factor for the development of rectal cancers, and IBD patients are frequently diagnosed with locally advanced cancers.

“Patients who have IBD are at a higher risk of developing rectal cancer compared to the general population, and also tend to have worse prognoses with locally-advanced cancers,” says Cleveland Clinic radiation oncologist Sudha Amarnath, MD, the study’s lead author. 

Read the rest here: https://consultqd.clevelandclinic.org/preoperative-pelvic-radiation-is-safe-effective-in-patients-with-ibd-and-rectal-cancer/