Study population
infraperitoneal adenocarcinoma of the rectum, malignancy
SECONDARY, METASTASIS
Patients with histologically proven infraperitoneal adenocarcinoma of the rectum; clinical T3/T4 or node negative/positive status on pelvic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); no evidence of distant metastasis or secondary malignancy on positron emission tomography and computed tomography (PET-CT) scan at baseline; adequate bone marrow, liver, and renal function (leucocytes >4000/mmPatients were randomized to treatment arms after an initial assessment of a hemogram, marker levels (CEA, Ca 19-9), blood biochemistry, and a pelvic MRI and PET-CT scan in the treatment position. The block randomization (block size = 4) method was used to ensure a balance in sample size across groups over time.Written informed consent was obtained from each patient following a detailed explanation of the objectives and protocol of the study. The protocol was registered to National Council of Higher Education Database (