Introduction
tumour, colon cancer
TUMOUR, COLON CANCER
Adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) after radical surgery is the current standard treatment for high-risk stage II and III colon cancer with a survival benefit due to eradication of micrometastasesMany preclinical studies suggest that surgery due to manipulation of the tumour may affect tumour kinetics, facilitate circulation of tumour cells, and increase metastatic potentialAlthough the negative impact of delaying AC is evident, initiating AC immediately after surgery for colon cancer has been avoided. This is due to concerns that cytotoxic agents can compromise tissue healing of wounds and the anastomosis. Patients need enough time to recover to be able to tolerate cytotoxic therapy safely. However, the postoperative recovery interval has been reduced due to minimally invasive surgery and Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols. Therefore, more patients should be physiologically able to tolerate AC earlier than in the past.Most previous studies have focused on how long you can delay AC rather than how early is safe. Therefore, a prospective randomized trial was designed and conducted to evaluate the safety and oncological efficacy of early AC (EAC) compared with conventional AC (CAC). In this study, the short-term outcomes of this trial are reported.