title: Combined Modality Treatment of Anal Carcinoma.
abstract: Within the framework of two phase III clinical trials, the superior results of concomitant chemotherapy and radiotherapy in the treatment of patients with locally advanced anal carcinoma were demonstrated. A further phase III clinical trial showed that the role of mitomycin C as part of the concomitant chemotherapy in combination with 5-fluorouracil appeared to be essential in obtaining a higher local control rate. All three of these randomized trials have shown that this improved local control rate results in a reduction of the colostomy rate. The standard treatment for locally advanced anal carcinoma is therefore the concomitant use of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Future issues to be clarified include a search for the optimal radiation dose and the use of less toxic agents. For smaller tumors, the addition of chemotherapy still has to be assessed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Bethesda Krankenhaus, 45355 Essen, Germany.
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Roelofsen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bartelink