Adjuvant chemotherapy for stage II colon cancer: influence of care structures' characteristics on a controversial clinical practice.

Background: Adjuvant chemotherapy for stage II colon cancer is a controversial practice and is not recommended by the French Consensus Conference outside of therapeutic trial.

Objective: To assess, within a well-defined population, the influence of hospital characteristics in this practice.

Patients And Methods: In the Rhône-Alpes region (10% of the French population), 534 patients presenting with colon cancer stage II were operated on in 81 hospitals in the year 2000.