Adjuvant and Neoadjuvant Management of Colorectal Cancer

Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common and lethal cancer in men and women in the United States. At presentation, a significant proportion of patients with CRC are able to undergo resection with curative intent, but up to 50% of these patients will develop recurrent disease. Fortunately, recurrence rates for both colon and rectal cancer have improved with the introduction of multimodality therapies, which include chemotherapy, chemoradiation therapy, and radiation therapy. These therapies are adjuncts to surgery and can be administered before (i.e. neoadjuvant) or after (i.e. adjuvant) surgery. This review summarizes the current evidence for the use of adjuvant and neoadjuvant therapies in colon and rectal cancer. This review contains 2 figures, 7 tables, and 77 references. Keywords: Colon cancer, rectal cancer, neoadjuvant therapy, adjuvant therapy, total neoadjuvant therapy, induction chemotherapy in rectal cancer, chemoradiation, organ preservation, non-operative management