Radiation-Induced Apoptosis of Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes is Correlated with Histological Regression of Rectal Cancer in Response to Preoperative Chemoradiotherapy

Purpose The response of rectal cancer to preoperative chemoradiotherapy (PRT) varies widely among patients, and predictors of the response remain to be elucidated. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether radiation-induced apoptosis (RIA) of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) reflects the underlying intrinsic radiosensitivity of rectal cancer.