[Evaluation of non-surgical therapy as a treatment option for patients with colorectal cancer].

In recent times, the incidence of colorectal cancer(CRC)in Japan as well as in Western countries has been increasing, and the various treatment strategies for CRC include endoscopic mucosal resection(EMR), curative hepatectomy for a solitary liver metastasis, and chemotherapy. Although the 5-year survival rate of patients with stage I-III CRC after complete resection is high, when the disease recurs, approximately 70% of the recurrent tumors become unresectable. Most patients with unresectable recurrent CRC receive chemotherapy, and, in recent years, the survival benefit has improved greatly because of the addition of molecular targeted drugs. The prognosis of patients with disease recurrence is poor and complete response and cure is not achieved. Therefore, the development of both new medication as well as multidisciplinary treatment is indispensable.