[Feasibility of weekday-on/weekend-off oral UFT/Leucovorin schedule as postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy for colorectal cancer].

Abstract

Two phase III studies revealed an oral UFT/Leucovorin (LV) regimen, in which the drugs are taken for 28 consecutive days every 35 days, which proved to be equivalent to an infusional 5-fluorouracil/LV regimen for metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC). The weekday-on/weekend-off schedule for UFT, which is taken for 5 consecutive days followed by 2 drug-free days,has been reported to be safe and to have good feasibility. In the present study, we investigated the weekday-on/weekend-off schedule for UFT/LV in 54 patients with CRC. The median administration period was 8 months. Ten patients (19%) showed grade 2 or more severe adverse reactions. One of them had grade 3 diarrhea and anorexia. Grade 2 anemia was observed in 9 cases (19%) and grade 2 leucopenia was in 2 cases (4%). Myelotoxicity was mild. These results suggested that the adverse reactions in the weekday-on/weekend-off schedule for UFT/LV are less severe than the conventional UFT/LV schedule reported previously. Antitumor effects and survival benefits of the two schedules should be evaluated by a phase III study.

• Authors: Sotaro Sadahiro, Toshiyuki Suzuki, Yuji Maeda, Hiroyasu Makuuchi, Chieko Murayama
• Journal: Gan to kagaku ryoho. Cancer & chemotherapy (Gan To Kagaku Ryoho) Vol. 33 Issue 3 Pg. 333-6 (Mar 2006) ISSN: 0385-0684 [Print] Japan
• PMID: 16531713 (Publication Type: Clinical Trial, Phase III, English Abstract, Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Drug Combinations
• UFT(R) drug
• Tegafur
• Uracil
• Leucovorin

Topics

• Administration, Oral
• Adult
• Aged
• Aged, 80 and over
• Anemia (chemically induced)
• Anorexia (chemically induced)
• Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols (adverse effects, therapeutic use)
• Chemotherapy, Adjuvant (methods)
• Colorectal Neoplasms (drug therapy, pathology, surgery)
• Drug Administration Schedule
• Drug Combinations
• Female
• Humans
• Leucovorin (administration & dosage, adverse effects)
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Neoplasm Staging
• Tegafur (administration & dosage, adverse effects)
• Uracil (administration & dosage, adverse effects)