Critical appraisal of the economic evidence for a watch-and-wait strategy in people with clinical complete response following neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for rectal cancer: a systematic review

Patients that have achieved clinical complete response can potentially avoid surgery and opt for active monitoring termed a ‘watch-and-wait’ strategy. The possibility of avoiding complications due to surgery and permanent stoma is appealing to the patients and this strategy is gaining popularity in practice. Evidence of the cost-effectiveness of a watch-and-wait strategy compared with alternative management options for people with clinical complete response following neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for rectal cancer will assist in evidence-based decision making and enable decision-makers to make policy decision on whether to endorse and implement this strategy of organ preservation