title: [Systemic treatment of colorectal cancers--factual standards and perspectives].
abstract: Adjuvant therapy has been shown to reduce recurrence and improve survival in patients with stage III colo-rectal cancer (CRC). However, the use of adjuvant therapy is still much debated in stage II disease. Fluorouracil (5-FU) and folinic acid (FA) are currently the standard adjuvant drug combination. The treatment of patients with metastatic colorectal cance has changed dramatically over the years. The more optimal use of 5-FU in association with FA, the new drugs such as irinotecan and oxaliplatin, and the oral fluoropyrimidines capecitabine and uracil/tegafur(UFT) have contributed to the increased therapeutic option and to improved outcome of patients with metastatic CRC. It has been shown that combination therapy with 5-FU/FA and irinotecan or oxaliplatin is more active than 5-FU/FA in the first line of advanced CRC. The oral fluoropyrimidines capecitabine and UFT/FA seem to have a comparable activity to intravenous bolus 5-FU/FA in the first line treatment of metastatic CRC. New agents acting on novel targets are under development. Epidermal growth factors inhibitors, vascular endothelial growth inhibitors, and cyclo-oxygenase 2 inhibitors might play a role in the future in the treatment of CRC.
authors.affiliation: Facultatea de Medicină Disciplina de Oncologie, Universitatea de Medicina şi Farmacie Gr.T. Popa Iaşi.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Miron
mesh_terms: D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002166:Camptothecin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000069287:Capecitabine; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D003841:Deoxycytidine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D000077146:Irinotecan; D002955:Leucovorin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009944:Organoplatinum Compounds / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000077150:Oxaliplatin; D005641:Tegafur / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; D009944:Organoplatinum Compounds; D000077150:Oxaliplatin; D003841:Deoxycytidine; D005641:Tegafur; D000069287:Capecitabine; D000077146:Irinotecan; D002955:Leucovorin; D005472:Fluorouracil; D002166:Camptothecin