The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of additional neoadjuvant chemotherapy with capecitabine during the resting periods in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer.

Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCRT) has been used as standard treatment modality in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) because of increased local control, enhanced sphincter preservation, and less toxicity.NCRT has enhanced down-staging of tumor and reduced local recurrence. However, survival benefit of NCRT has not been demonstrated and the rate of distant metastasis was still reported as high as 30%.

Patients with pathologic complete remission (pCR) after NCRT have shown excellent survival benefit. We inferred that additional chemotherapy during the resting period could enhance the pCR rate. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of an additional 4-week chemotherapy with capecitabine after the conventional 6-week NCRT in patients with LARC.

Inclusion Criteria:

• histologically proven, locally advanced adenocarcinoma of the rectum
• an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) score of 0-2
• adequate function of major organs
• a signed informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

• other co-existing malignancy or malignancy within the last 5 years prior to enrollment
• severe concurrent medical or psychiatric disorders
• prior RT to pelvis
• pregnant or lactating patients

patients of our hospital