Dr. VanderWalde on Personalizing Therapy in Rectal Cancer

Noam VanderWalde, MD, MS, associate professor of radiation oncology, West Cancer Center and Research Institute, discusses the push toward personalizing therapy in rectal cancer.

Multiple standards of care are available for patients with rectal cancer, explains VanderWalde.

Historically, all patients with locally advanced rectal cancer received preoperative chemoradiation, VanderWalde says. In general, patients in the United States received long-course chemoradiation, whereas patients in Europe received short-course chemoradiation.

Following surgery, patients received chemotherapy as needed, VanderWalde adds.

The advent of total neoadjuvant therapy has expanded the armamentarium for patients in this space, says VanderWalde.

Treatment selection should be considered by a multidisciplinary team, including radiation oncologists, surgeons, and medical oncologists to optimize therapy for patients, VanderWalde concludes.