Chemotherapy for gastrointestinal cancer: new hopes or new disappointments?

Since the end of the eighties relevant progress has been made in the treatment of gastrointestinal tract cancer, as well in advanced disease as in the adjuvant setting. The neoadjuvant treatment of localized esophageal and gastric cancer is of high interest, and especially the adjuvant treatment of colorectal cancer provides a realistic hope for further progress in the years not too far ahead. Results of recent studies with implications for future trials are discussed.