Update on adjuvant treatment of colorectal cancer

Developments in the adjuvant therapy of colorectal cancer have been reported recently. Important questions regarding the most appropriate regimen, the optimal duration of treatment, the preferred route of administration, and which subgroups are most likely to benefit are addressed. A number of studies in rectal cancer considered the timing of chemoradiation, mode of administration of chemotherapy, and the role of intraoperative radiotherapy. Quality of life issues also are being addressed. Several new agents and novel therapies have produced interesting and, it is hoped, clinically useful results. The prognostic significance of a number of molecular markers also is the subject of ongoing research.