Patterns of locoregional failure and distant metastases in patients treated for locally advanced rectal cancer in the RAPIDO trial

Background: Optimizing rectal cancer treatment has reduced locoregional failures (LRFs), however, many patients still develop distant metastases (DM). The current study aims to investigate whether a different preoperative treatment strategy influences patterns and development of LRF and DM in patients with high-risk locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC).