Changes in clinical guidelines. Radiation therapy

In January 2022, the National Cancer Network (NCCN) made a number of significant additions to the recommendations for radiation therapy for rectal cancer, which are important not only for specialists, but also for patients:

• Patients of childbearing age should be counseled about the consequences of premature menopause and consideration should be given to hormone replacement therapy with specialized specialists.
• Patients of childbearing age should be informed that with radiation therapy involving the uterus, the risk of preterm birth is very high in the future.

• Patients should be counseled about sexual dysfunction, potential low testosterone levels, and risks of infertility, and provided information about a sperm bank or an egg or ovarian tissue bank, as appropriate, prior to initiating treatment.
• Also, the possibility of radiotherapy or brachytherapy shortly after surgery, before adjuvant chemotherapy, was removed from the recommendations.

You can read more here: NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology, Rectal cancer Ver. 1/2022 – February 25, 2022.

We thank D.V. Kurenkov, oncologist, radiotherapist K+31 Zapad, for the up-to-date information.