A population-based study of adjuvant chemotherapy for stage-II and -III colon cancers.

Summary Background Although clinical trials have demonstrated that adjuvant chemotherapy improves survival for stage-III colon cancer, the benefits remain controversial for stage-II lesions. The objective of the present study was to determine the extent to which adjuvant chemotherapy is used for patients with stage-II and -III colon cancers. Methods The study population comprised 1074 patients with stage-II and -III colon cancers diagnosed in 2000 in 12 French administrative districts and recorded in population-based cancer registries. Data were collected using a standardized procedure. Results Overall, 20.4% of patients with stage II and 61.9% with stage III received adjuvant chemotherapy.…