title: Role of chemotherapy in the palliation of gastrointestinal malignancies.
abstract: In 1994, more than 200,000 patients in the United States were diagnosed with colon, gastric, or pancreatic cancer. Over half of these patients eventually will have recurrent, incurable disease and require palliative therapy. Although chemotherapy has no role in the primary treatment of most gastrointestinal cancers, and only a limited role as a form of adjuvant treatment in colon cancer, it is sometimes the only systemic treatment available for palliation. Effective chemotherapeutic agents for gastrointestinal cancers are few, and after more than three decades of research, 5-fluorouracil remains one of the few useful agents. This article reviews the role of chemotherapy in palliative therapy for the common gastrointestinal cancers. Discussion also includes recent advances in modulating 5-fluorouracil activity and the many attempts to study newer agents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, OH 44195, USA.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Pelley
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy; D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D010166:Palliative Care; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents