PDCD1 and rectal cancer: Preclinical evidence suggests that combining radiotherapy with programmed cell death-1 (PD-1)/programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) antibodies can reshape the tumour microenvironment, counter immunosuppression, boost T-cell-derived antitumour cytokine secretion and enhance radiotherapy’s effectiveness.12 13 However, while many neoadjuvant studies focus on traditional CRT, only a few investigate the combination of nCRT with PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies for early rectal cancer.