Author(s)

Rani Kanthan, Jenna-Lynn Senger, Shahid Ahmed, Selliah Kanthan

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada.
Department of Surgery, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada..
Medical Oncologist, Saskatoon Cancer Centre, Saskatoon, Canada.

Colon cancer is the second commonest cause of cancer-related death in Canadian men and women, with approximately one-third of patients dying from this disease. One quarter of patients present with metastases initially, and up to half of all colon cancer patients will develop stage IV disease over the course of their life. Despite ongoing advances in the evolution of newer cytotoxic drugs, targeted biological agents and improved metastasectomy techniques, the gain in overall survival in these patients is of low magnitude. This manuscript is a targeted review of the recent advances over the last decade in the management of advanced stage IV colon cancer as available in the published English literature. The two major arms of metastatic colon cancer management that include surgery and systemic chemotherapy and palliative measures as available are discussed. A multi-modality team-based approach involving medical oncologists, surgical oncologists, radiologists, and other health-care providers continues to be critical for ongoing success in the therapeutic management of these patients. Future studies of well-designed prospective, randomized-controlled clinical trials to develop and evaluate newer therapeutic strategies are recommended for continued and improved understanding for optimization of clinical management in advanced colon cancer.

Stage IV Colon Cancer; Systemic Therapy; Surgical Management

R. Kanthan, J. Senger, S. Ahmed and S. Kanthan, "Recent Advances in the Management of Stage IV Colon Cancer," Journal of Cancer Therapy, Vol. 3 No. 6, 2012, pp. 1104-1118. doi: 10.4236/jct.2012.36145.