NCCN Colorectal Cancer Practice Guidelines. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network

In summary, the committee believes that a multidisciplinary approach is necessary for the management of the patient with colorectal cancer. The committee endorses the concept that treatment of patients on a clinical trial has priority over standard or accepted therapy. The recommended surgical procedure for managing resectable colon cancer is an en bloc resection; laparoscopic surgery should be done only in the context of a clinical trial. For patients with stage III disease, 5-FU-based adjuvant chemotherapy is recommended. A patient who has metastatic disease in the liver or lung should be considered for surgical resection if he or she is a candidate for surgery and if surgery can extend survival. The committee advocates a conservative post-treatment surveillance program for colon and rectal cancer patients. A determination of CEA should be done only if CEA was elevated at baseline and decreased following primary resection. Abdominal and pelvic CT scans should be utilized only when there are clinical indications of possible recurrence. Patients whose disease progresses during 5-FU-based therapy should be considered for treatment with irinotecan or encouraged to participate in a phase I or II clinical trial.