Colorectal cancer is one of the most common gastrointestinal malignancies. In China, the trend for the incidence of colorectal cancer was increasing annualy. The proportion of rectal cancer accounts for colorectal cancer in our country is still significantly higher than the European and American countries. Preoperative or postoperative chemoradiotherapy has been shown to significantly reduce the local recurrence of rectal cancer, which is the standard of perioperative treatment mode for locally advanced rectal cancer. In the recent years, we have payed more and more attentions on the effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for rectal cancer. In this paper, we will illuminate the current problems, the new treatment idea and research status in locally advanced rectal cancer after neoadjuvant therapy.