Oxaliplatin, Fluorouracil, and Leucovorin as Adjuvant Treatment for Colon Cancer

In this large, multicenter trial of the adjuvant (postoperative) treatment of stage II and stage III colon cancer, a combination of oxaliplatin, fluorouracil, and leucovorin was superior to fluorouracil and leucovorin. A large, multicenter trial of the adjuvant (postoperative) treatment of stage II and stage III colon cancer. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of death from cancer in Western countries 1 ; 40 to 50 percent of patients who undergo potentially curative surgery alone ultimately relapse and die of metastatic disease. 2 The most important prognostic indicator of survival in early colon cancer is the stage of the tumor (T, according to the tumor–node–metastasis [TNM] classification), determined by the depth of penetration through the bowel wall, and the number of involved lymph nodes. 3 The demonstration that postoperative adjuvant treatment with fluorouracil and levamisole reduced the mortality rate by 33 percent among patients with stage III colon cancer 4 prompted . . .