Clinical efficacy of irinotecan plus raltitrexed chemotherapy in refractory esophageal squamous cell cancer: a retrospective study

Abstract

Background: The optimal chemotherapy regimen for refractory esophageal squamous cell cancer patients is uncertain. Our retrospective study assessed the efficacy and safety of irinotecan plus raltitrexed in esophageal squamous cell cancer patients who were previously treated with multiple systemic therapies. Methods: Between January 2016 and December 2018, records of 38 esophageal squamous cell cancer patients who underwent irinotecan plus raltitrexed chemotherapy after at least one line of chemotherapy were reviewed. Efficacy assessment was performed every two cycles according to the RECIST version 1.1. Results: A total of 95 cycles of chemotherapy were administered, and the median course was 3 (range 2–6). There was no treatment-related death. Nine patients had partial response, 21 had stable disease and 8 had progressive disease. The overall objective response rate was 23.68% (9/38) and the disease control rate was78.94% (30/38). After a median follow-up of 18.5 months, the median progression-free survival and overall survival were 105 days and 221 days respectively. There were 5 patients (13.15%) with grade 3/4 leukopenia, 3 patients (7.89%) with grade 3/4 neutropenia and 1 patient (2.63%) with grade 3/4 diarrhea. Conclusions: The combination of irinotecan plus raltitrexed was effective for pretreated esophageal squamous cell cancer patients. Further studies are needed to determine the optimal dose of the two drugs.