[Adjuvant chemotherapy of the colonic and rectal carcinoma: concepts and uptodate results].

The aim of adjuvant chemotherapy is the destruction of micrometastases after surgical removal of a malignant tumor. This treatment modality is gaining in importance in the light of experimental data and lcinical success in pediatric tumors. Results of ongoing studies in colo-rectal cancer show a marginal effect of prophylactic treatment with 5-fluorouracil. The treatment benefits in trials with historical controls are much greater than in studies with simultaneous controls. Use of historical controls is therefore of doubtful value. Ongoing trials use the combination of 5-fluorouracil and methyl-CCNU, which has been shown to double the remission rate in advanced gastrointestinal cancer. Adjuvant chemotherapy of colo-rectal cancer is still experimental and justified only in the framework of clinical trials.