We aimed to assess the combined effect of trifluridine (FTD) and ionizing radiation (IR) on colorectal cancer cells in vitro. Colorectal cancer cells, HT-29, HCT-15, and HCT 116, showing low, medium, and high sensitivity to IR, respectively, were treated with the combinations of FTD and IR, and evaluated by the clonogenic survival assay. The radiation dose modification factors (DMFs) were calculated as the ratio of radiation doses producing equivalent surviving fractions following the FTD/IR treatment, or IR alone. DMFs of 4 mu M FTD followed by 8 Gy of IR were 2.7, 1.5, and 1.2 for HT-29, HCT-15, and HCT 116, respectively, whereas those of 8 Gy of IR followed by FTD were 1.6, 1.4, and 1.0 for these cells, respectively. Intracellular DNA double-strand break levels after IR and FTD were significantly higher than those observed following the IR treatment alone, regardless of whether the IR was applied before or after FTD. RAD51 expression levels were shown to be increased in FTD and IR treated cells. Apoptotic proteins, such as cleaved PARP and cleaved caspase-3, were detected in cells treated with the combination of FTD and IR, while their expression was not significantly induced after IR or FTD treatment alone. These findings suggest that FTD enhances the efficacy of IR and provide a rationale for designing novel combination chemoradiotherapy regimens containing FTD for patients with rectal cancer that are insensitive to the radiation treatment. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.