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Selection of patients with stage II disease for adjuvant therapy
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chicago, IL
Adjuvant chemotherapy is the standard treatment for stage III colon cancer after surgical resection of the tumor, as it decreases recurrence and mortality 30%–40%. The benefit of adjuvant therapy for stage II colon cancer is unclear because of the difficulty of detecting an absolute improvement in recurrence or survival. Because not all patients with stage II disease are at equal risk of recurrence, the challenge is to identify those at high risk who are likely to benefit from adjuvant therapy. Prognostic and predictive factors may allow clinicians to identify patients at higher risk of recurrence. The ongoing intergroup E5202 trial, which is stratifying patients with stage II colon cancer into high and low risk based on molecular findings, may clarify this issue. Patients should be involved in the decision-making process regarding their treatment and should be included in a discussion of the advantages and limitations of adjuvant therapy for stage II disease.
| Commun Oncol 2007;4(suppl 3):5–10 | full text |  156 kb |