[Advances in the treatment of colorectal cancer]

Colorectal cancer is one of the most serious diseases of our time. Recent progress in its treatment is reviewed in this paper. There are many approaches for treating colorectal cancer; extended surgery to function-preserving surgery. The aim of surgical treatment is to excise the tumor completely, so extended surgery has been performed for curative resection of colorectal cancer. However, the quality of life (QOL) of the patients has been extremely impaired. In recent years, surgical treatments for avoiding colostomy, and urinary and sexual difficulties have been widely carried out, and QOL of the patients could be maintained in the postoperative period. Stage-oriented therapy is accepted as the concept of surgical treatment of colorectal cancer. For further improving the clinical results of colorectal cancer, we advocated "type-oriented therapy" which is based on the biological characteristics of colorectal cancer, by determining i.e., p53 abnormalities of cancer cells, serum p53 antibodies, micrometastasis in the bone marrow and/or sensitivity to anticancer drugs.