Treatment Patterns and Outcomes of Preoperative Neoadjuvant Radiotherapy in Patients with Early-onset Rectal Cancer

Preoperative radiotherapy for early-stage rectal cancer has risks and benefits that may impact treatment choice in young patients. We reviewed radiotherapy use and outcomes for rectal cancer by age. Patients with early-stage rectal cancer in the Canadian province of British Columbia from 2002 to 2016 were identified (n = 6,232). Baseline characteristics, treatment response, overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), disease-specific survival (DSS), and locoregional recurrence rate (LRR) were compared between patients Significance: This population-based study suggests younger patients are more likely to receive chemoradiotherapy, potentially due to higher stage at diagnosis, and response is comparable by age.