Cisplatin and etoposide in advanced colorectal carcinoma

The cisplatin (P) and etoposide (E) combination has been found to be active in several types of solid tumors. It has never been previously tested in advanced colorectal cancer. Thirty-three patients with advanced colorectal cancer were treated with this combination. Five patients responded (1 complete and 4 partial responses) with an overall response rate of 15% (95% confidence limits, 3%-27%). Responses were seen in both untreated (3/16) and pretreated (2/17) patients. The median duration of response was 28 weeks (range: 23; 80), the median time to progression was 16 weeks (range 2; 80) and the median survival time for all entered patients was 38 weeks (range: 2; 187+). These results suggest that the PE combination has a low but definite activity in advanced colorectal carcinoma, particularly in previously untreated patients.