The comparison of FOLFOX regimens with different doses of 5-FU for the adjuvant treatment of colorectal cancer: a multicenter study.

PURPOSE: We aim to compare the efficiency and toxicity of three different 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) administration types in 5-FU, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin (FOLFOX) combination treatment for adjuvant therapy in colorectal cancer (CRC). METHODS: Five hundred and seventy patients with stage III colorectal carcinoma who received different FOLFOX regimens after curative resection were included. Patients were divided into three groups as FOLFOX-4, modified FOLFOX-6 (mFOLFOX-6), and mFOLFOX-4 for comparison of toxicity and disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) times. RESULTS: Three-year DFS rates for FOLFOX-4, mFOLFOX-6, and mFOLFOX-4 groups were 65%, 72%, and 72%, respectively. Five-year OS rates for FOLFOX-4, mFOLFOX-6, and mFOLFOX-4 groups were 69%, 75%, and 67%, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between the three treatment groups in terms of DFS and OS (p = 0.079, and p = 0.147, respectively). Among grade 1-2 adverse events (AE), thrombocytopenia, neuropathy, and stomatitis were more common in the mFOLFOX-6-treated group. The frequency of grade 1-2 nausea and vomiting were similar in mFOLFOX-6 (36.3% and 24%, respectively) and mFOLFOX-4 (32.4% and 24.7%, respectively) groups but were higher than that in the FOLFOX-4 (19.5% and 11.3%, respectively) group. Among the most common grade 3-4 AE, neutropenia (53.4%, 9%, and 13.5%, respectively) and diarrhea (10.5%, 2.2%, and 2.4, respectively) were more common in FOLFOX-4. The rate of anemia and febrile neutropenia was similar in treatment groups (p = 0.063, and p = 0.210, respectively). CONCLUSION: In the adjuvant treatment of stage III CRC patients, three different 5-FU administration types in FOLFOX combination treatment can be used with similar efficiency and manageable toxicity.

Complementary and alternative medicine usage in cancer patients in southeast of Turkey.

The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) methods and clinical characteristics in cancer patients in southeast of Turkey. A total of 324 patients (173 female) were enrolled to this study. Questionnaire was applied to all patients individually for approximately 15 minutes by a doctor. At least one CAM method was used by 62% (n=201) of the patients. 82.5% (n=166) of patients treated with CAM were using at least one herbal species. Likewise, 40.9% (68/166) of these patients were using herbal mixtures and 39.8% (66/166) of them were using single herbal as nettle (Urtica dioica) or its seed, 19.3 % (32/166) of them were using other herbals. CAM methods were preferred more frequently by the patients with metastatic stage (p=0.005), receiving palliative treatment (p<0.001), chemotherapy (p=0.020), in between 40-60 ages patient groups (p=0.002), and when duration of disease was lengthened (p=0.002). CAM use among cancer patients is quite common. Presence of metastatic cancer at diagnosis, receiving chemotherapy and palliative treatment and long disease duration were found as main associated factors for CAM usage.