Diseases of the colon and rectum
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Neoadjuvant long-course chemoradiotherapy is commonly used to improve the local control and resectability of locally advanced rectal cancer, with surgery performed after an interval of a number of weeks. ⋯ There is limited evidence to support decisions regarding when to resect rectal cancer following chemoradiotherapy. There may be benefits in prolonging the interval between chemoradiotherapy and surgery beyond the 6 to 8 weeks that is commonly practiced. However, outcomes need to be studied further in robust randomized studies.