Open AccessPerspectives and controversies in the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer: From paliation to cure
Author(s) -
Л.В. Попов
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
acta chirurgica iugoslavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2406-0887
pISSN - 0354-950X
DOI - 10.2298/aci0202037p
Subject(s) - medicine , colorectal cancer , chemotherapy , quality of life (healthcare) , intensive care medicine , natural history , cancer , clinical practice , oncology , surgery , physical therapy , nursing
Advanced colorectal cancer (ACRC) has been traditionally considered resistant to chemotherapy, with no clear benefit in relation to time to progression and overall survival. Nevertheless, nowadays first and second line therapeutic approaches have dramatically changed the natural history of ACRC, and that means that at present the most important decision in a patient is not to treat or no to treat with chemotherapy, but to choose the best chemotherapy schedule at any time. Following this purpose it has been necessary, not only the emergence of new drugs and schedules, but also the understanding of the clinical efficacy. Actually, to the classic parameters such as, objective response, time to progression, and overall survival, new parameters studying clinical benefit have been added. Among these new parameters we can find the weight loss, symptom-free period, quality of life, pain-free interval, etc. Therefore, the really important aim in these situations is the patient clinical status, being less important the survival or the tumor burden reduction.