Not operating and waiting is often a good option for patients with rectal cancer. — © ANP / Flip Franssen
Research into the Wait-and-See method (do not operate, but wait and see) yields positive results in patients with rectal cancer, according to research by Maastricht UMC+.
Ron Langenveld
Especially for the quality of life, it appears to be better for many patients when no surgery is performed. In rectal cancer, a tumor in the last part of the colon is often treated with radiation, possibly combined with chemotherapy. This is followed by an operation in which the entire rectum is removed. This operation in particular can cause a disruption of intestinal function, urination or sexual problems. A stoma is also required more often.
It now appears that such an operation is often not necessary because the tumor is no longer visible during the pre-treatment. In such a case, the Wait-and-See-method can be applied, in which the operation is omitted, but we wait and monitor whether the tumor remains. Every year, about three thousand people in the Netherlands are affected by rectal cancer. The research was recently published in a scientific journal Jama Surgery.