Fluorouracil, Semustine, and Vincristine Compared With BCG in Treating Patients With Dukes’ B or Dukes’ C Colon Cancer That Has Been Removed By Surgery

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as vincristine, fluorouracil, and semustine, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Biological therapies, such as BCG, may stimulate the immune system in different ways and stop tumor cells from growing. It is not yet known whether combination chemotherapy is more effective than BCG in treating colon cancer that has been removed by surgery.
PURPOSE: This randomized phase III clinical trial is studying giving fluorouracil together with semustine and vincristine to see how well they work compared with giving BCG in treating patients with Dukes’ B or Dukes’ C colon cancer that has been removed by surgery.