5-Fluorouracil as adjuvant chemotherapy for large bowel cancer is it appropriate for routine community use?
At this time, adjuvant chemotherapy cannot be recommended as routine treatment for curative-resection large-bowel cancer with a high potential for metastatic relapse. 5-FU has been extensively evaluated and has made no significant impact on survival. No properly designed prospectively randomized trial of 5-FU adjuvant treatment has shown statistically significant benefit. The possibility that combination chemotherapy will prove beneficial remains. Several major protocols are on-going and remain to be analyzed. Since these combinations are potentially toxic, they should not be used prematurely by the practicing oncologist.