The Swedish Approach

Abstract

Rectal cancer therapy has in Sweden been individualized for decades, basically pre-empting current therapy. The tools to allow such individualized tailoring have, however, substantially been improved. Therapeutic decisions should be made by a multidisciplinary team prior to any therapy requiring patient-specific information, delineating the relevant data concerning tumor extension by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and correlative tumor pathology. The competence of the team, recorded as its “track-record” following quality registration is an important benchmark reflecting the volume of rectal cancer cases managed and the implementation of established management protocols. For the majority of primary rectal cancers, the choices include:.