Here are six things to know.
1. The change is due to International Duration Evaluation of Adjuvant Chemotherapy collaboration results, which compared three months of treatment with the standard of six months of oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy regimens. Treatment was either leucovorin, fluorouracil, oxaliplatin — Folfox — or capecitabine/oxaliplatin — Capeox, also known as Xelox.
2. The results were presented at the 2017 American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting, where it was announced they would be published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
3. The treatment recommendations define low-risk stage III as pathologic stages T1-3N1. For these patients, the preferred treatments are CAPEOX for three months or FOLFOX for three to six months.
4. The recommendations define high-risk stage III disease as pathologic stages T4N1-2 and AnyTN2. For these patients, the preferred treatments are CAPEOX for three to six months or FOLFOX for six months.
5. Researchers claimed the shorter duration leads to reduced toxicity and that there are a great number of patients who can be treated with less chemotherapy.
6. In the U.S., 20,000 patients have low-risk stage III tumors per year.
More articles on gastroenterology:
Continental Who’s Who names Dr. Kevin Collier 2018 Gastroenterologist of The Year — 4 insights
GI leader to know: Dr. Vinod Vallabh of Carolina Gastroenterology
Drs. Heather Barton, Christina Ha & more: 5 GI physicians making headlines
At the Becker’s 32nd Annual Meeting: The Business and Operations of ASCs, taking place October 29-31 in Chicago, ASC leaders, surgeons and healthcare executives will explore strategies to drive growth, enhance operational performance, navigate reimbursement challenges and prepare for the future of ambulatory surgery. Apply for complimentary registration now.