Colorectal cancer chemotherapy: The evolution of treatment and new approaches

Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one the greatest contributors to cancer related mortality. Although 5 year survival rate for patients at the early stage of CRC (stages I and II) is above 60%, more than 50% of patients are diagnosed at or beyond stage III when distant metastasis has already occurred, in which case 5 year survival rate drops to 10%. Chemotherapeutic intervention coupled with surgery is the backbone of metastatic CRC treatment and the only means of enhanced survival. For decades following its discovery, an antimetabolite 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) was the only chemotherapeutic agent available to successfully improve 12 month survival in CRC patients. Treatment of metastatic CRC has been ..