Lack of Complete Pretreatment Staging Is Associated with Omission of Neoadjuvant Therapy for Rectal Cancer: A Statewide Study

Surgeons and other physicians must consistently recognize when a patient has mid-to-low RC and should perform local RC staging for these cases. This includes pelvic MRI or endorectal ultrasound (ERUS), from which the clinical T-stage and N-stage are derived for treatment decision-making.