Capecitabine. An alternative strategy to modulating 5-FU-based chemotherapy has been established through the development of oral fluoropyrimidine analogues. Capecit-abine (Xeloda, Roche), a fluoropyrimidine carbamate with antineoplastic activity, is an orally administered systemic prodrug of 5′-deoxy-5-fluorouridine, which is converted in the body to 5-FU.

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Surgery for Colon Cancer

Surgical removal of the involved segment of colon (colec-tomy), along with its blood supply and regional lymph nodes, is the primary therapy for colon cancer. The conventional and accepted treatment for curative resection of colon cancer is laparotomy with hemicolectomy for right-sided or left-sided lesions .

The technique of colon resection through an open laparotomy incision is well known. Over the past several years, laparoscopy-assisted colectomy has been developed. Laparoscopic surgery can be used for safe and radical resection of cancer in the right, left, and sigmoid colon.

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A study was conducted to investigate the prognostic factors for colorectal cancer patients in order to improve future treat-ment. Patients who had undergone curative resection (n = 842) were divided into three groups according to age: young (40 years or younger), middle-aged (41 to 64 years), and older (65 years or above). Univariate survival and multivariate analysis were used to compare 35 clinical factors among the groups.

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INTRODUCTION

Colorectal cancer is a significant contributor to morbidity and mortality in the U.S., making this disease the second leading cause of cancer deaths overall. In 2002, more than 56,000 lining of the bowel. Some become malignant over time. Most evidence suggests that adenomas are precursors for a substantial proportion of colorectal cancers. This has prompted considerable interest in removing adenomas to prevent the people in the U.S. died of colorectal cancer (28,471 men; 28,132 women). Studies published in the early 1990s showed that screening could reduce colorectal cancer-related mortality; this finding has prompted many organizations to recommend screening in asymptomatic, average-risk adults older than 50 years of age.

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In this preliminary study of a two-state region, we found that physicians were taking the initiative to counsel their patients about Medicare Part D, despite the fact that they did not perceive this function to be their responsibility. Their actions, in turn, might have demonstrated a significant aspect of professionalism Q.e., altruism), because physicians were filling a void and were considering their patients’ best interests.

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Survey Response

The overall response rate, including two surveys completed over the telephone, was 48% (257 of 537). Of the 625 surveys mailed (excluding pediatricians), one was returned from a non-physician; 70 other addresses were deleted from the denominator (624) because correct addresses or phone numbers were not available (the physicians could not be contacted). We excluded an additional 17 physicians who reported that they did not make any decisions concerning prescription drugs (n = 11) or that they no longer practiced medicine (n = 6). Therefore, our final sample size was 537 for this article.

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Study Sample

A packet consisting of a survey instrument, a cover letter, and a postage-paid return envelope without any financial or other incentive was mailed to a random sample of 690 physicians (625 excluding pediatricians) who were listed as members of the Minnesota Medical Association (MMA) (n = 460; 418 excluding pediatricians) or the North Dakota Medical Association (NDMA) (n = 230; 207 excluding pediatricians), respectively. We used a chi-square test for the equality of two proportions to determine the original sample size of 690.

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