Long source–skin distance rectal irradiation technique: a review of results

Endocavitary rectal irradiation is a well established curative treatment for patients with selected early cases of adenocarcinoma of the rectum. At McGill we use a long source–skin distance (SSD) rectal irradiation technique as an alternative to the standard short SSD rectal irradiation technique originally described by Papillon. Eight patients, seven women and one man, were treated between April 1986 and November 1988. Median age was 72.5 years (range 46–86 years). Seven patients were treated with curative intent, and one for palliation. The mean follow-up period for all patients was 43 months, with a median of 54 months (range 3–65 months). Actuarial survival and disease-free survival were 86% and 72% at 65 months for the seven patients treated with curative intent. Treatments were well tolerated by all patients and only one patient developed localized proctitis that required steroid enemas, which resulted in complete resolution of symptoms. Our results are comparable with those in other reports in the literature. The complications were similar in type and frequency to other published series.