title: Impact of chemotherapy-related prognostic factors on long-term survival in patients with stage III colorectal cancer after curative resection.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This retrospective study evaluated the prognostic factors of chemotherapy in stage III colorectal cancer after curative resection.
  
  
  METHODS
  From 1996 to 2001, 1,054 patients with primary single colorectal cancer underwent curative resection. Seven hundred sixteen patients received various 5-fluorouracil (FU)-based adjuvant chemotherapy regimens, including oral and intravenous treatments. The chemotherapy-related parameters examined included therapeutic duration, frequency, route of administration, composition of combination therapies, and postoperative time interval from the operation to the start of chemotherapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The therapeutic duration and postoperative time interval of starting therapy were independent prognostic factors, in addition to clinicopathological factors. The 8-year cancer-specific/overall survival rates in patients who received chemotherapy for >4 months (63.0/58.6%) were significantly higher than the rates in patients who received no chemotherapy (56.7/37.7%, P < 0.01) and those who remained on chemotherapy for 1-4 months (49.4/41.9%, P < 0.05). The 8-year cancer-specific/overall survival rates in patients who waited 1-5 weeks after surgery to receive chemotherapy (62.9/58.5%) were significantly higher versus rates in those who did not receive chemotherapy (56.7/37.7%) and those who did not receive chemotherapy until >5 weeks after surgery (52.3/45.9%) (both P < 0.05). Survival rates did not differ between patients who did not undergo chemotherapy, those for whom chemotherapy lasted 1-4 months, and patients who did not receive chemotherapy until >5 weeks after surgery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The appropriate duration of therapy and early chemotherapy after surgery were 2 of the most important factors in eradicating occult cancer and effecting long-term survival benefits in patients with stage III colorectal cancer.
authors.affiliation: Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, 5 Fu-Hsing St., Kueishan, Taoyuan, 333, Taiwan. wensy@adm.cgmh.org.tw
authors.forename: Wen-Sy
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: Pao-Shiu
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Hsieh
authors.forename: Chien-Yuh
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Yeh
authors.forename: Jy-Ming
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Chiang
authors.forename: Reiping
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Jinn-Shiun
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Chung Rong
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Changchien
authors.forename: Jeng Yi
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D005472:Fluorouracil