Predicting neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy response in rectal cancer: Insights from biomarkers to clinical practice

Rectal cancer poses a major global health challenge, with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy improving outcomes in locally advanced cases by reducing tumor burden and recurrence risk. However, response variability, including only 15%-20% of patients achieving pathological complete response, underscores the urgent need for accurate predictive tools. This review explored current and emerging biomarkers to enhance neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy response prediction and inform clinical practice.