Resumen
Improvements in the treatment of patients with cancer largely depend on clinical trials comparing a new intervention with a previous standard of care. This is not different when it comes to improving adjuvant (postoperative) and neoadjuvant (preoperative) treatment for colorectal cancer. In clinical trials, there is usually a close collaboration between physicians and statisticians, and better and more reliable results can be obtained when such trials are designed, conducted and analyzed with attention to some important methodological issues. In this article, we provide a general review of useful methodological and statistical ideas that may help investigators and clinicians in their attempt to improve treatment results in colorectal cancer.