New data confirm that Xelox, a combination of Xeloda (capecitabine) and oxaliplatin, is as safe as the current standard treatment of intravenous 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin (i.v. 5-FU/LV) in adjuvant colon cancer patients (post surgery). Moreover, Xelox reduces the number of hospital visits by more than 60 per cent compared to the current standard therapy, providing them the freedom to live as normal a life as possible.

In 2004, colorectal cancer was one of the leading cancers and accounted for 13 per cent of all cancers. It is estimated that over 394,000 people die worldwide from colorectal cancer each year. Xeloda was approved in the EU for post-surgery treatment of colorectal cancer in April 2005. Approval was based on data (X-ACT study) that showed Xeloda to be at least equal to 5- FU/LV in terms of effectiveness with a strong trend towards improvement with fewer severe side effects.

"It's great to know that physicians have a new treatment option that will truly benefit patients that cannot tolerate current therapies. This option gives patients the freedom to live their lives while providing similar safety benefits to the current standard intravenous treatment in the post-surgery setting. This study confirms that Xeloda shows potential in combination treatment in colorectal cancer," said Prof. Hans-Joachim Schmoll, Martin Luther University, Halle, Germany, and lead author of the new study.

Previous Xelox studies, conducted in patients where the disease has spread have shown that it is well tolerated with similar efficacy to the Folfox (oxaliplatin + 5-FU/LV) combination.

Xelox is also being investigated in the largest ever phase III clinical trial programme for the treatment of colorectal cancer, with over 4,000 patients from more than 30 countries involved.