Early response to upfront neoadjuvant chemotherapy (CAPOX) alone in low- and intermediate-risk rectal cancer: a single-arm phase II trial

Background With local recurrence of rectal cancer continuing to decrease, distant recurrence is becoming a major concern, especially for patients with low- and intermediate-risk stage II/III rectal cancer. Therefore, a new treatment strategy is warranted for these patients. This single-arm phase II trial aimed to assess the effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT) in low- and intermediate-risk stage II/III rectal cancer and explore candidate...