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Elderly patients with advanced colorectal cancer: tolerability and activity of chemotherapy
Rossana Berardi1, Tiziana Saladino, Davide Mari
1Clinica di Oncologia Medica, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Ospedali Riuniti Unmberto 1, G.M. Lancisi, G. Salesi, Ancona, Italy. rossana.berardi@libero.it
Aims And Background:
Colorectal cancer is the most common gastrointestinal tumor in Western countries and is increasing in elderly patients. In recent years, new treatments based on the use of 5-fluorouracil associated with oxaliplatin or CPT-11 have shown promising activity. The aim of the present study was to analyze the tolerability and activity of chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil plus oxaliplatin or CPT-11 in elderly patients with advanced colorectal cancer.
Methods:
Patients aged 70 years or older with advanced colorectal cancer were treated with 5-fluorouracil (400 mg/m2 in bolus and 600 mg/m2 in a 22-hr continuous infusion on days 1-2) plus folinic acid (100 mg/m2) associated to oxaliplatin (85 mg/m2 on day 1, FOLFOX regimen) or CPT-11 (180 mg/m2 on day 1, FOLFIRI regimen), every 14 days.
Results:
Twenty-nine patients with a median age of 76 years (range, 70-82) were treated with FOLFOX or FOLFIRI as first-line chemotherapy for metastatic disease. We observed a partial response in 8/29 (27.6%), stable disease in 11/29 (37.9%) and progressive disease in 10/29 (34.5%). Median survival was 21 months; 1-year survival probability was 89.8%. Grade III leukopenia was observed in 2/29 (7%) patients and grade III diarrhea in 1/29 patients. No other grade III-IV toxicity was observed.
Conclusions:
FOLFOX and FOLFIRI appear to be active and well tolerated regimens for elderly patients with advanced colorectal cancer.
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