Chemotherapy for Colorectal Cancer Also Kills Adenomas

To determine if chemotherapy for colorectal cancer (CRC) affects the development of colorectal adenomas, Korean investigators retrospectively evaluated 192 stage IIB CRC patients who underwent curative resection, half of whom received adjuvant 5-fluorouracil chemotherapy. All patients had preoperative clearing of polyps and postoperative clearing in the case of obstruction.

The rate of developing any adenoma was similar between chemotherapy recipients and nonrecipients (41.7% and 52.1%, respectively). However, the rate of developing an advanced adenoma was significantly lower among chemotherapy recipients (3.1% vs. 10.4%; P=0.044). Multivariable analysis adjusted for age at diagnosis, sex, body-mass index, diabetes, aspirin use, metformin us…