STEPUPIORS

The main aim of the STEPUPIORS project is to establish a European consortium of research institutions dedicated to defining prognostic biomarkers in rectal cancer. Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) is the gold standard in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC), but the response is not uniform among patients and improvements are currently being assessed. Profiling the response to CRT in patients with LARC would enable more adequate selection of patients who would benefit most from CRT while minimizing adverse effects and toxicity. Patients with a favorable response to CRT might be candidates for a less invasive surgical approach or for enrollment in a ""watch and wait"" approach in the case of a complete clinical response (cCR). This would increase their quality of life and contribute to the overall reduction of treatment cost. Identification of novel therapeutic targets might also benefit rectal cancer patients who do not respond well to neoadjuvant CRT. The STEPUPIORS project aligns with Europe’s beating cancer plan and the Horizon Europe strategic plan 2021-2024 within the health cluster, through setting up a research consortium that will enable improvement of rectal cancer prognosis monitoring and treatment and lead to better health outcomes.