Investigation of the effect of adjuvant chemotherapy in stage II colorectal cancers

Abstract

Colorectal cancer is the most prevalent and malignant gastrointestinal cancer and the fourth most common cancer around the world. Selection of the treatment method is based on the staging of the disease. The aim of this interventional study is to investigate the effect of adjuvant chemotherapy on local recurrence, distant metastases, and three-year disease-free lifespan in patients with stage II colorectal cancer. This study conducted between 2001 and 2007 involved 40 patients with stage II colorectal cancer. Subsequent to surgery, the adjuvant chemotherapy was performed employing the FOLFOX4 diet therapy; the patients were further examined every 3 months using tumor marker counts, sonography, CT scan and colonoscopy for identification of any local recurrence and metastasis. Finally, at the end of the third year and after chemotherapy, the rates of local recurrence, metastasis and survival of the patients were investigated. The present study was conducted on 40 patients, 23 of whom were male and the rest were female. After three years of follow-up, 2 patients had local recurrence and 7 patients had distant metastasis. All of the patients survived throughout the three-year follow-up period. In this study, the adjuvant chemotherapy in stage II colorectal cancer led to significant overall survival and three-year diseasefree survival.