[Current status of chemotherapy for colonic, rectal and anal carcinoma]

Despite great efforts chemotherapeutic results of metastatic colorectal cancer are still unsatisfactory. In general, single agent treatment with 5-fluorouracil is the standard. The combination of 5-fluorouracil and folinic acid, however, shows favorable preliminary results which can be expected to lead to a small progress in this area. During the last several years the treatment strategy of squamous cell cancer of the anus has changed profoundly. In most patients radical surgery with colostomy has become unnecessary. With combined simultaneous chemotherapy and radiotherapy about 80% of all patients can achieve long term disease free survival.