Elderly Patients with Advanced Colorectal Cancer: Tolerability and Activity of Chemotherapy

Abstract

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.