Refining adjuvant therapy for non-metastatic colon cancer, new standards and perspectives

With 1 360 802 new cases worldwide in 2012, colon cancer is the third most frequent cancer in males and the second in females [1]. More than 95% are adenocarcinoma, and 75% are diagnosed at a localized stage [2]. Even diagnosed at a localized stage, recurrence occurs in 30% of patients when there is nodal involvement (stage III) due to micrometastatic spreading. Hence, research has sought effective post-surgery treatments to kill this residual disease. To date only chemotherapeutic drugs such as fluoropyrimidines or oxaliplatin have proven effective and are currently recommended by scientific societies [2,3].
Source: Cancer Treatment Reviews - Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Source Type: research