Dr. Bekaii-Saab on Results of the IDEA Project for Colon Cancer

Tanios Bekaii-Saab, MD, professor of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, discusses the results of the phase III IDEA project for patients with stage III colon cancer.

This is another study that could change the standard of care for these patients, Bekaii-Saab explains. The study is looking at the question of 3 months versus 6 months of oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy. In the IDEA project, researchers examined patients from pooled international studies and explored whether exposing patients to a 3-month regimen is better. This is also due to the severe neurotoxicities that are associated with the extended chemotherapy, Bekaii-Saab explains.

In conclusion, the clinical relevance of these findings is that 3 months is the new standard for up to T3 and N1 tumors. It is the same for T4 or N2 except for higher-risk patients, for whom practitioners may consider an additional 3 months of 5-fluorouracil or capecitabine.