Abstract
BACKGROUND: Docetaxel, cisplatin, and 5-flurouracil (DCF) administered every 3 weeks produces a high rate of treatment-related adverse events. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of a weekly formulation of DCF. METHODS: Data from 117 patients treated at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center from 2002 to 2006 with a weekly formulation of DCF were retrospectively collected. A total of 95 patients received front-line therapy with 20 mg/m2 of cisplatin, 350 mg/m 2 of 5-fluorouracil, and 20 mg/m2 of docetaxel administered once weekly for 6 consecutive weeks followed by a 2-week break. RESULTS: Ninety-five patients (median age, 62 years [range, 33 to 87 years], with an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 1 or 2 in 67%) received a median of 10 weeks of DCF treatment (range, 3-41 weeks). Grade 3 or 4 hematologic toxicity (assessed according to National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria [version 3.0]) included granulocytopenia (4 patients) and anemia (9 patients). None of the patients developed a febrile neutropenic infection, but grade 3 or 4 non-neutropenic infections occurred in 8 patients. Eighty patients had measurable disease with an objective response rate determined by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) criteria of 34% (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 24-45%). The median follow-up was 9 months, with a median time to disease progression of 4.1 months (95% CI, 3.6-5.7 months) and a median overall survival of 8.9 months (95% CI, 7.7-10.8 months). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with advanced gastric and esophageal cancer who were not candidates for every-3-week DCF, a weekly formulation of DCF demonstrated modest activity with minimal hematologic toxicity, suggesting that weekly DCF is a reasonable treatment option for such patients.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1446-1453 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Cancer |
Volume | 116 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Mar 15 2010 |
Keywords
- 5-fluorouracil
- Cisplatin
- Docetaxel
- Esophageal cancer
- Gastric cancer
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Cancer Research
- Oncology