The 10th International Congress on Anti-Cancer Treatment (ICACT) [Paris, France; January-February 2000] opened with an impressive satellite symposium sponsored by Sanofi-Synthélabo to discuss the role of oxaliplatin ['Eloxatin'] in the treatment of colorectal cancer. Colorectal cancer remains a leading cause of death in the industrialised world, with an estimated 55 000 deaths in the US each year. It is highly metastatic cancer, with 50% of patients dying from disease progression.