Adjuvant chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil in surgery for colorectal cancer: Eight-year progress report

Summary An eight-year progress report of a method of intraluminal chemotherapy adjuvant to operation for cancer of the colon and rectum is presented. The technic involves sequestering the diseased segment between tape ligatures. A cancericidal drug is injected into the lumen within the taped area. The clamping of the pedicle vessels is deliberately delayed 30 minutes to allow maximal absorption of drug. In the 5-FU-treated group, the agent is also injected intravenously on postoperative days 1 and 2. Seventy-seven patients (excluding four postoperative deaths) in the treated series were followed for as long as eight years. No significant increase in morbidity or mortality was associated with this technic. Follow-up studies of 5-FU-treated patients with Stage III cancers (positive mesenteric nodes) indicate that the trend toward increased survival of Stage III patients noted at five years continues to be sustained at eight years.