An analysis of previous studies shows that waiting longer before beginning chemotherapy after colorectal cancer surgery is associated with lower survival rates, according to the study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Researchers found that a four-week increase in waiting times was associated with a 14 percent decrease in overall survival as well as disease-free survival. The study also indicates there still may be some benefit to chemotherapy between 12 weeks and around 4-5 months after surgery.
The analysis found no significant lack of uniformity among the studies, and results remained significant after adjustment for potential publication bias and when the analysis was repeated to exclude studies with the largest weight.
Read the JAMA study on colorectal cancer.
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