The treatment of advanced colorectal cancer with interferon-α: a review

Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignancies in the western world. The majority of patients who develop this tumour will ultimately die from metastatic disease. The fluorinated pyrimidine 5 fluorouracil (5-FU) is at present the most active drug available for first-line therapy of this disease. Randomised studies have consistently demonstrated a survival advantage from early treatment with 5-FU in advanced CRC, which can be achieved without deterioration in quality of life. Despite over 30 years of use, the optimal 5-FU schedule remains controversial with a wide range of response rates reported in the literature. Single agent activity is in the order of 10 - 11% [1,2]. In an attempt to improve response rates, modulation of 5-FU with a variety of agents has been intensively investigated.This article examines the role of interferon-α in the treatment of advanced CRC.

• 5-fluorouracil
• colorectal cancer
• interferon-α