drug cocktail of epirubicin, cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil -- all standard cancer drugs -- before surgery, and half got surgery alone to remove their tumors. Thirty-six percent of those who got the chemotherapy were alive five years later, compared to 23 percent of those who got surgery alone. "This is the first example of trial that has shown improvement in survival by the addition of chemotherapy to surgery. This is truly a first," Cunningham told a news conference. The chemotherapy shrank the tumors, perhaps making them easier to remove and also allowing patients to eat better and get stronger before surgery, Johnson said. In addition, the chemotherapy could be attacking an unseen, second tumor, or perhaps affecting inflammation. "Many things that are good for healing a wound are bad for cancer -- they serve to stimulate cancer growth," Johnson said. There is some suggestion that removing a main tumor, called a primary tumor, affects the growth of other, microscopic tumors. The chemotherapy may interfere with this, Johnson said.
