[Chemotherapy of intestinal carcinomas]

It is not easy to weigh up therapeutic and toxic effects in the medical treatment of intestinal cancer. The number of drugs that have demonstrated certain activity in these forms is extremely limited, only 5 FU being definitely active and even this only in a small percentage of patients. 5 FU produces remission in some 20% of cases. It is highly probable that prophylactic treatment with 5 FU increases patient survival as reported by Regelson and other workers, but the resulting damage (hepatic, bone marrow, immunodepression, etc.) must also be assessed and the risk of a second neoplasia should not be forgotten. The personally used association of 5 FU and cyclophosphamide has proved active at least to the same extent as 5 FU alone, while toxic effects were not particularly important. Brilliant but unfortunately temporary results can be obtained by peritoneal PTC in peritoneal carcinomatosis. Good results with respect to the pain symptom have been obtained by associating 5 FU with radiotherapy in non-operable intestinal tumours.