NEW YORK (Cancer Online) - Results of a meta-analysis conducted by researchers from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) suggest treatment of stage II colon cancer patients with adjuvant chemotherapy is not beneficial for their survival.
Dr. Al B. Benson and his colleagues reviewed literature from 12 trials between 1985 and 2001. Two of these cases included a surgery only control arm and a fluorouracil-based chemotherapy arm. Based on these studies, Dr. Benson and his colleagues do not recommend adjuvant chemotherapy for non-problematic stage II disease. However, these studies may not have substantial evidence to reach that conclusion. In the August 15th edition of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the researchers report that patients with inadequately sampled nodes, T4 lesions, poorly differentiated histology, or perforation should be considered for such therapy. Therefore, the researchers recommend that patients who are considered high-risk with stage II colon cancer discuss the benefits and disadvantages of such treatment with their physician.
Dr. Benson and his colleagues state, "The ASCO panel emphasizes that the treatment decision-making process in stage II colon cancer must incorporate patient choice, and that the responsibility of both surgical and medical oncologists is to ensure that the patient has adequate information to make a well-informed decision that incorporates personal preferences".
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