Oxaliplatin as a radiosensitizing agent in rectal cancer

The efficacy of oxaliplatin monotherapy against several solid tumors and its relative lack of nephrotoxicity and myelosupression, coupled with results of the Multicenter International Study of Oxaliplatin/5-Fluorouracil/Leucovorin in the Adjuvant Treatment of Colon Cancer trial, led to a great deal of interest for the implementation of this chemotherapeutic agent in the preoperative setting for the management of adenocarcinoma of the rectum. Despite limited in-vitro and in-vivo data with regard to the radiosensitizing properties of oxaliplatin in rectal cancer, it rapidly entered phase I–III clinical trials. This study reviews the results of these trials and the current status of oxaliplatin as a radiosensitizing agent in the neoadjuvant management of rectal cancer.