Gastrointestinal surgery: adjuvant therapy for node-positive colon cancer: practice question

A General Surgery question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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General Surgery · Gastrointestinal surgery: adjuvant therapy for node-positive colon cancer

Sample item

A 58-year-old man has a curative right hemicolectomy for adenocarcinoma. Histology shows invasion through the muscularis propria with metastasis in 3 of 14 regional nodes. No distant disease is found. Which adjuvant treatment is standard?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

D. Fluoropyrimidine with oxaliplatin chemotherapy

Node-positive (stage III) colon cancer benefits from adjuvant systemic chemotherapy, usually a fluoropyrimidine combined with oxaliplatin for about three to six months. Adjuvant radiotherapy has no routine role in colon cancer, unlike rectal cancer.

Option by option

  • A. Surveillance with CEA alone

    Surveillance alone is for early-stage disease without nodal spread.

  • B. Hormonal therapy

    Colon cancer is not hormone-driven.

  • C. Radiotherapy to the colonic bed

    Colonic radiotherapy is not routine because of the mobile nature of the colon and adjacent bowel.

  • D. Fluoropyrimidine with oxaliplatin chemotherapy (correct)

    Correct. Oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy improves survival in stage III colon cancer.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

More General Surgery questions

Questions about this General Surgery question

What is the answer to this General Surgery question?

The best answer is D, Fluoropyrimidine with oxaliplatin chemotherapy. Node-positive (stage III) colon cancer benefits from adjuvant systemic chemotherapy, usually a fluoropyrimidine combined with oxaliplatin for about three to six months.

Why is "Surveillance with CEA alone" not the answer?

Surveillance alone is for early-stage disease without nodal spread.

Why is "Hormonal therapy" not the answer?

Colon cancer is not hormone-driven.

Why is "Radiotherapy to the colonic bed" not the answer?

Colonic radiotherapy is not routine because of the mobile nature of the colon and adjacent bowel.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Gastrointestinal surgery: adjuvant therapy for node-positive colon cancer in General Surgery. Adjuvant radiotherapy has no routine role in colon cancer, unlike rectal cancer.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Gastrointestinal surgery: adjuvant therapy for node-positive colon cancer?

Learn classic signs and eponyms alongside what they diagnose. Then use the flashcards and the other General Surgery questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.