Publication Name	World Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery
Manuscript ID	121131
Country	China

Category	Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Manuscript Type	Retrospective Cohort Study
Article Title	Matched analysis of long-term oncological outcomes between watch-and-wait strategy and radical surgery after neoadjuvant therapy for rectal cancer
Manuscript Source	Unsolicited Manuscript
All Author List	Zi-Jun Li and Ke Zhang
Funding Agency and Grant Number
Corresponding Author	Ke Zhang, Associate Chief Physician, General Surgery Center, Jiujiang City Key Laboratory of Cell Therapy, Jiujiang No. 1 People’s Hospital, No. 48 Taling South Road, Xunyang District, Jiujiang 332000, Jiangxi Province, China. cole66866@126.com
Key Words	Rectal neoplasms; Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy; Clinical complete response; Watch-and-wait; Oncological outcomes
Core Tip	This study compared long-term oncological outcomes between the watch-and-wait strategy and radical surgery in 100 rectal cancer patients with clinical complete response after neoadjuvant therapy. Results showed comparable 3-year disease-free survival, overall survival, and recurrence rates, while watch-and-wait conferred better quality of life, supporting watch-and-wait as a safe organ-preserving option.
Citation	Li ZJ, Zhang K. Matched analysis of long-term oncological outcomes between watch-and-wait strategy and radical surgery after neoadjuvant therapy for rectal cancer. World J Gastrointest Surg 2026; In press

Received	2026-04-22 10:08
Peer-Review Started	2026-04-22 10:08
First Decision by Editorial Office Director	2026-05-15 09:52
Return for Revision	2026-05-15 09:52
Revised	2026-05-23 15:03
Publication Fee Transferred	2026-05-31 06:26
Second Decision by Editor	2026-07-07 02:57
Second Decision by Editor-in-Chief
Final Decision by Editorial Office Director	2026-07-07 07:12
Articles in Press	2026-07-07 07:12
Edit the Manuscript by Language Editor
Typeset the Manuscript

ISSN	1948-9366 (online)
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Copyright	©Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2026. No commercial re-use. See Permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
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