Fernandez LM, Juliao GPS, Figueiredo NL, et al. - Using the International Watch & Wait Database (IWWD), which is a large-scale registry of individuals with a clinical complete response after neoadjuvant chemotherapy who have been managed by a watch-and-wait strategy, researchers did conditional survival modeling using data from 47 clinics across 15 countries. Individuals (aged ≥18 years) with rectal cancer subsequently managed by a watch-and-wait strategy between November 25, 1991 and December 31, 2015 were enrolled. In the analysis, 793 individuals from the IWWD with clinical complete response who had been managed by a watch-and-wait strategy were identified. In patients with a sustained clinical complete response for 1 year, the probability of remaining free from local regrowth for an additional 2 years was 88.1%, for 3 years was 97.3%, and for 5 years was 98.6%. In patients who had a clinical complete response without distant metastasis for 1 year, the probably of remaining free from distant metastasis for a further 2 years was 93.8%, for 3 years was 97.8%, and for 5 years was 96.6%. The outcomes imply that, in patients with rectal cancer managed by a watch-and-wait approach, it's possible to lower the intensity of active surveillance if they achieve and maintain a clinical complete response within the first 3 years.