As an emerging treatment method, watch and wait (W&W) strategy is not the standard treatment for rectal cancer patients but recommended by some guidelines. The legal risk of W&W is that once the medical behavior fails to achieve the desired effect, the patient may think that it is because of the wrong choice of treatment plan and delay of radical resection, thus causing medical dispute. As for the above legal risks, medical personnel should fulfill higher obligations when carrying out W&W strategy after neoadjuvant treatment for rectal cancer, including confirming that the treatment method has relatively reliable evidence-based medical evidence, fully implementing the information obligation and obtaining informed consent of the patient, and formulating standardized treatment procedures to ensure the standardization of medical behavior. At the same time, through patient education and communication, patients are aware of and coordinate with the efforts made by medical staff to improve patients′ outcomes and quality of life, so as to understand the possible benefits and risks of this treatment strategy, as well as the efficacy and damage of complying with conventional treatment, and make final decision together with the medical staff.

Rectal neoplasms; Neoadjuvant therapy; Clinical complete response; Watch and wait strategy; Patient protection