Inclusion Criteria:

- Patients with histologically proven metastatic adenocarcinoma of the colon or rectum

- Previous chemotherapy for metastatic disease not allowed. Patients who received prior
adjuvant 5-FU-based chemotherapy are eligible if they have remained free of disease
for at least 6 months after the completion of adjuvant therapy

- Patients with operable metastatic disease are excluded from the study

- Age 18-70 years

- Performance status (ECOG) 0-1

- At least one bidimensionally measurable lesion of >= 2cm

- Life expectancy of at least 6 months

- Adequate hematologic parameters (absolute neutrophil count >= 1.5x109/L and platelets
>=100x109/L)

- Creatinine and total bilirubin < 1.25 times the upper limit of normal

- Aspartate and alanine aminotransferase < 3.0 times the upper limit of normal (<5
times in case of liver mets)

Exclusion Criteria:

- Absence of active infection or malnutrition (loss of more than 20% of the body
weight)

- No history of a second primary tumor other than non-melanoma skin cancer or in situ
cervical carcinoma. curatively treated

- Patients treated with palliative radiotherapy had to have measurable metastatic
disease outside the irradiation fields.

- Patients with severe cardiac dysfunction, liver metastases involving more than 50% of
the liver parenchyma, chronic diarrhea, or prior irradiation affecting more than 30%
of the active bone marrow are excluded.

- All patients will have to sign written informed consent in order to participate in
the study