The CEA Second-Look Trial: a randomised controlled trial of carcinoembryonic antigen prompted reoperation for recurrent colorectal cancer.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

In patients who have undergone a potentially curative resection of colorectal cancer, does a 'second-look' operation to resect recurrence, prompted by monthly monitoring of carcinoembryonic antigen, confer a survival benefit?

Design

A randomised controlled trial recruiting patients from 1982 to 1993 was recovered under the Restoring Invisible and Abandoned Trials (RIAT) initiative.

Setting

58 hospitals in the UK.

Participants

From 1982 to 1993, 1447 patients were enrolled. Of these 216 met the criteria for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) elevation and were randomised to 'Aggressive' or 'Conventional' arms.

Interventions

'Second-look' surgery with intention to remove any recurrence discovered.

Primary outcome measure

Survival.

Results</

SUBMITTER: Treasure T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4025449 | biostudies-literature | 2014 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature