Background/Aims:In patients with colon cancer who undergo resection for potential cure, 40–60% have advanced locoregional disease (stage III). Those who are suitable for adjuvant treatment had a definite disease-free-survival benefit. The aim of the present study was to demonstrate whether the presence of desmoplasia influenced the mortality rate of stage III colorectal cancer (CRC) within 5 years from the surgery and adjuvant therapy.Patients and Methods:Sixty-five patients with stage III CRC underwent resection and adjuvant therapy. Qualitative categorization of desmoplasia was obtained using Ueno's stromal CRC classification. Desmoplasia was related to mortality using Spearman correlation and stratified with other histological variables (inflammation, grading) that concurred to the major determinant of malignancy (venous invasion and lymph nodes) using the Chi-square test.Result:The 5-year survival rate was 65% and the relapse rate was 37%. The mortality rate in patients with immature desmoplasia was 86%, 27% in intermediate desmoplasia, and 0% in mature desmoplasia (Spearman correlation coefficient: −0.572, P = 0.05).Conclusion:Immature desmoplasia appears to be associated with disease recurrence and mortality in stage III CRC patients.
Objectives: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of irinotecan (CPT-11) alternated with a weekly treatment for 4 weeks of oxaliplatin (L-OHP), high-dose leucovorin (LV) and a 48-hour 5-fluorouracil infusion (5-FU48h) as first-line chemotherapy for patients with advanced colorectal cancer (ACC). Patients and Methods: Previously untreated patients with ACC received chemotherapy consisting of a weekly treatment for 4 weeks of L-OHP (65 mg/m2), high-dose LV (150 mg/m2) followed by a 5-FU48h infusion (2,300 or 1,800 mg/m2) alternated with CPT-11 (350 mg/m2). A cycle was to be performed every 8 weeks. Treatment was continued up to tolerance, disease progression or patient refusal. Forty consecutive patients with measurable ACC, aged 26–70, performance status ≤2, entered our study. Results: Six complete and 17 partial responses were observed (overall response rate, 57.5%; 95% confidence interval, CI: 38.8–71.1%); an additional 35% of the patients had stable disease. The median duration of response was 10.9 months (range, 6.5–30+ months). The median time to progression and the median overall survival time were 11.4 (95% CI: 10.4–12.3) and 20.3 (95% CI: 16.4–23.7) months, respectively. At the median follow-up period of 24 months, 17 patients (42.5%) are still alive. After a median number of 4 cycles, one toxic death occurred. The incidence of grade 3–4 toxicity per patient in any cycle was: stomatitis 7.5%, nausea/vomiting 2.5% and diarrhea 45% for the infusional part, neutropenia 37.5%, anemia 2.5%, thrombocytopenia 5%, alopecia 5% and diarrhea 10% for the CPT-11 part of the regimen. Gastrointestinal toxicity was different according to the dose of 5-FU. Serious adverse events occurred most frequently when 5-FU was given at a dose of 2,300 mg/m2 with a high incidence of grade 3–4 diarrhea (72.2%) and stomatitis (16.6%), and led to dose reduction of 5-FU in 13 of 18 patients (72.2%). For 22 patients who started 5-FU at a dose of 1,800 mg/m2, a dose reduction of 5-FU was necessary only 5 times (22.7%). No patient discontinued treatment because of severe neurotoxicity. Conclusions: The activity of our alternating regimen of L-OHP/LV/5-FU48h and CPT-11 for not previously treated ACC patients is counterbalanced by a high toxicity and a inconvenient schedule.
Objective: To test the activity of subcutaneous granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) administration in patients with colorectal cancer treated with adjuvant 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) plus leucovorin (LV) and suffering from mucositis. Methods: Thirty-one patients treated with adjuvant 5-FU 370 mg/m2 and LV 100 mg/m2 for 5 days every 4 weeks and reporting grade ≧2 mucositis participated in the study. Subcutaneous GM-CSF 4 µg/kg/day from days 6 to 10 was administered without chemotherapy dose reductions in the cycle that followed the cycle during which mucositis was reported. The disappearance of mucositis or a decrease by ≧1 grade was recorded as a therapeutic success. Baseline toxicity was: grade 2 stomatitis in 12 patients and grade 3 in 9; grade 4, 3 and 2 diarrhoea in 1, 4 and 8 patients, respectively. Results: Seventy-seven GM-CSF cycles were administered. A success was achieved in 20 (64.5%) patients. The efficacy was assessable in 5 (16.1%) patients with grade 2 and in 8 (25.8%) with grade 3 stomatitis, respectively, as well as in 1 (3.2%) and 5 (16.1%) patients with grade 3 and 2 diarrhoea, respectively. Success (3.2%) was reported in 2 patients suffering from both grade 2 stomatitis and diarrhoea. In 7 (22.5%) patients there was no evidence of efficacy. In 4 (12.9%) patients the treatment was stopped after the first administration of GM-CSF due to a grade 2 allergic reaction. Conclusions: The subcutaneous administration of GM-CSF relieved patients from symptoms of 5-FU/LV-induced mucositis with acceptable side effects permitting the maintenance of full-dose chemotherapy.
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