First-line chemotherapy with irinotecan plus capecitabine for advanced colorectal cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate efficacy and safety of the combination chemotherapy with irinotecan plus capecitabine in patients with advanced colorectal adenocarcinoma.
METHODS: Patients with histologically proven advanced colorectal adenocarcinoma received a first-line chemotherapy with irinotecan 240 mg/m2 on day 1 and capecitabine 2,000 mg/m2/day as an intermittent regimen of 2 weeks of treatment followed by a 1-week rest. Treatment was repeated every 3 weeks.
RESULTS: Thirty-nine patients were registered, and 36 were assessable for responses. Sixteen objective responses (44%) were observed with a median response duration of 6.9 months. Stable disease was documented in 14 cases (39%). The median time to progression was 6.7 months. The median overall survival was not reached at the time of analysis, and the 1-year survival rate was 67%. Two patients died: 1 due to sepsis not complicating myelosuppression, and 1 patient, known as a hepatitis B virus carrier prior to chemotherapy, died of hepatic failure, the cause of which was not clinically verified. Frequently encountered therapy-related events were leukopenia and gastrointestinal side effects including diarrhea. Severe hand-and-foot syndrome was observed in only 1 patient.
CONCLUSIONS: The combination chemotherapy of irinotecan and capecitabine is an active and tolerable regimen for advanced colorectal adenocarcinoma, but the observed deaths suggest a future randomized trial that requires a cautious patient selection.