Adjuvant treatment of colorectal cancer

Abstract

Colorectal cancer is one of the most frequent causes of cancer deaths. Survival for locoregional colorectal cancer is about 70% overall and 30-60% in stage III patients. Several randomized trials have shown that adjuvant chemotherapy can increase this survival rate. 5-Fluorouracil-based chemotherapy is strongly recommended in this context. There are still some questions about the setting in which patients should be treated as well as the optimal treatment. New data for different schedules and combinations are now available. Physicians have to choose between the different options now available to offer the best treatment to their patients. This Review analyses the current options for adjuvant therapy in colon and rectal cancer.