The results of numerous single-center and multicenter randomized and non-randomized studies on the treatment of patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) over a 70-year period are presented. The sequence of surgical, medicinal, radiation and chemoradiation treatment is represented. The doses and amount of radiation exposure are described, both in mono mode and with the use of various combinations of chemotherapeutic drugs in neoadjuvant and adjuvant regimens. The evolution of complex treatment that has shifted has shifted the emphasis to the use of chemoradiation therapy in the neoadjuvant period, and the introduction of new chemotherapeutic drugs and regimens have significantly increased the survival rates among patients with LARC. The approaches to the treatment of patients with LARC are not static and are constantly being improved. This literature review shows the chronological sequence and major current trends in the neoadjuvant and adjuvant components of the treatment of patients with locally advanced rectal cancer.
