A Consensus Conference on Colon and Rectal Cancer was held at the National Institutes of Health in April 1990. The treatment recommendations of the panel were:
1. Stage I Colon and Rectal
No adjuvant therapy is warranted, since there is a low risk of recurrence .
2. Stage II Colon
Specific adjuvant therapy cannot be recommended routinely for intermediate-risk tumors outside a clinical trial. Those with larger tumors (T3 or T4), an elevated preoperative CEA level, poorly differentiated tumors and abnormal DNA are candidates for adjuvant chemotherapy .
3. Stage III Colon
There is a high risk for recurrence, and treatment with levamisole and 5-FU is recommended.
4. Stages II and III Rectal
Adjuvant combined radiotherapy and chemotherapy is recommended postoperatively. This will improve local control and survival.
