A randomised phase III trial of adjuvant radio-chemotherapy comparing Irinotecan, 5FU and Leucovorin to 5FU and Leucovorin in patients with rectal cancer: a Hellenic Cooperative Oncology Group Study.

The primary objective was to compare the 3-year survival of rectal cancer patients randomised postoperatively to irinotecan (IRI), Leucovorin (LV) and bolus 5-fluorouracil (5FU) or LV-bolus 5FU with radiotherapy. Secondary objectives included disease-free survival, local relapse and toxicity. The study included 321 eligible patients. The treatment consisted of weekly administration of IRI 80 mg/m(2) intravenously (IV), LV 200 mg/m(2) and 5FU 450 mg/m(2) bolus (arm A) versus LV 200 mg/m(2) and 5FU 450 mg/m(2) IV bolus (arm B). One cycle included four infusions and treatment was continued for a total of six cycles. The first cycle was followed by pelvic irradiation plus 5FU. There were no differences between the arms in 3-year overall, disease-free and local relapse-free survival. Grades 3 and 4 toxicity was similar in both the arms with the exception of leucopaenia, neutropaenia and alopecia, which were higher in the IRI arm. IRI added to adjuvant radiochemotherapy with LV and bolus 5FU was not shown to improve survival, whereas the incidence of severe leucopaenia was significantly higher in the IRI arm.

Postoperative dose-dense sequential chemotherapy with epirubicin, paclitaxel and CMF in patients with high-risk breast cancer: safety analysis of the Hellenic Cooperative Oncology Group randomized phase III trial HE 10/00.

BACKGROUND: A randomized phase III trial in high-risk breast cancer patients was conducted, to further explore the impact of dose-density in the adjuvant treatment for breast cancer. The safety analysis is presented. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From October 2000 until June 2005, 1121 node-positive patients were randomized to sequential dose-dense epirubicin 110 mg/m(2) and paclitaxel (Taxol, Bristol Myers-Squibb, Princeton, New Jersey, USA) 250 mg/m(2) (group A), or concurrent epirubicin 83 mg/m(2) and paclitaxel 187 mg/m(2) (group B), both followed by three cycles of 'intensified' combination chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and fluorouracil (CMF). Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor was given prophylactically with the dose-dense treatments. RESULTS: Median dose intensity of epirubicin and paclitaxel was double in group A, as designed, with significantly less cycles administered at full dose (P < 0.001). Median cumulative dose of all drugs and total treatment duration, however, were identical between groups. Severe taxane-related toxic effects were more frequent in group A, while severe thrombocytopenia was low and present only in group A. There were no differences in the rates of other hematological toxic effects, including febrile neutropenia. The rates of secondary malignancies were low. CONCLUSION: Both regimens as used in the present study are well tolerated and safe. The rates of severe taxane-related toxic effects and thrombocytopenia, although low overall, are significantly increased with the dose-dense sequential regimen.

Postoperative dose-dense sequential chemotherapy with epirubicin, followed by CMF with or without paclitaxel, in patients with high-risk operable breast cancer: a randomized phase III study conducted by the Hellenic Cooperative Oncology Group.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to explore the effect of dose-dense sequential chemotherapy with or without paclitaxel primarily on disease-free survival (DFS) and secondarily on overall survival (OS) in patients with high-risk operable breast cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From June 1997 until November 2000, 604 patients with T1-3N1M0 or T3N0M0 tumors were randomized to three cycles of epirubicin 110 mg/m2 followed by three cycles of paclitaxel 250 mg/m2 followed by three cycles of 'intensified' CMF (cyclophosphamide 840 mg/m2, methotrexate 47 mg/m2 and fluorouracil 840 mg/m2) (group A), or to four cycles of epirubicin followed by four cycles of CMF, as in group A (group B). All cycles were given every 2 weeks with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor support. RESULTS: A total of 595 patients were eligible. Median follow-up was 61.7 months for group A and 62 months for group B. The 3-year DFS was 80% in group A and 77% in group B. Survival rates were 93% and 90%, respectively. The effect of treatment on the hazard of death was different according to hormonal receptor status. More specifically, in patients with negative receptor status the hazard of death was significantly higher for group B (hazard ratio 2.42). Both regimens were well tolerated and severe acute side-effects were infrequent. No cases of severe cardiotoxicity or acute leukemia were recorded. CONCLUSIONS: The present study failed to demonstrate a significant difference in DFS or OS between the two treatment groups. However, our study has shown clearly that high-dose paclitaxel can be safely incorporated to dose-dense sequential chemotherapy.

Vitamin E for prophylaxis against chemotherapy-induced neuropathy: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The authors conducted a pilot, randomized, open label with blind assessment, controlled trial to determine whether vitamin E supplementation has a neuroprotective effect in chemotherapy-induced peripheral nerve damage. METHODS: Thirty-one patients with cancer treated with six courses of cumulative cisplatin, paclitaxel, or their combination regimens were randomly assigned in two groups and followed by neurologic examination and electrophysiologic study. Patients assigned in Group I (n = 16) received oral vitamin E at a daily dose of 600 mg/day during chemotherapy and 3 months after its cessation were compared to patients of Group II (n = 15), who received no supplementation and served as controls. The severity of neurotoxicity was summarized by means of a modified peripheral neuropathy score. RESULTS: The incidence of neurotoxicity differed between the two groups, occurring in 4/16 (25%) patients assigned in the vitamin E supplementation group and in 11/15 (73.3%) patients assigned in the control group (p = 0.019). Mean peripheral neuropathy scores were 3.4 +/- 6.3 for patients of Group I and 11.5 +/- 10.6 for patients of Group II (p = 0.026). The relative risk (RR) of developing neurotoxicity was significantly higher in case of control patients, RR = 0.34, 95% CI = 0.14 to 0.84. CONCLUSION: Vitamin E supplementation in cancer patients may have an important neuroprotective effect.

Adjuvant cytotoxic and endocrine therapy in pre- and postmenopausal patients with breast cancer and one to nine infiltrated nodes: five-year results of the Hellenic Cooperative Oncology Group randomized HE 10/92 study.

SUMMARY: The present randomized phase III trial was designed to detect a 15% benefit in relapse-free survival (RFS) or overall survival (OS) from the incorporation of adjuvant tamoxifen to the combination of CNF [cyclophosphamide, 500 mg/m2; mitoxantrone (Novantrone), 10 mg/m2; fluorouracil, 500 mg/m2 chemotherapy and ovarian ablation in premenopausal patients with node-positive breast cancer and conversely from the incorporation of CNF chemotherapy to adjuvant tamoxifen in node-positive postmenopausal patients. From April 1992 until March 1998, 456 patients with operable breast cancer and one to nine infiltrated axillary nodes entered the study. Premenopausal patients were treated with six cycles of CNF chemotherapy followed by ovarian ablation with monthly injections of triptoreline 3.75 mg for 1 year (Group A, 84 patients) or the same treatment followed by 5 years of tamoxifen (Group B, 92 patients). Postmenopausal patients received 5 years of tamoxifen (Group C, 145 patients) or 6 cycles of CNF followed by 5 years of tamoxifen (Group D, 135 patients). Adjuvant radiation was administered to all patients with partial mastectomy. After a median follow-up period of 5 years, 125 patients (27%) relapsed and 79 (17%) died. The 5-year actuarial RFS for premenopausal patients was 65% in Group A and 68% in Group B (p = 0.86) and for postmenopausal patients 70% in Group C and 67% in Group D (p = 0.36). Also, the respective OS rates were 77% and 80% (p = 0.68) for premenopausal and 84% and 78% (p = 0.10) for postmenopausal patients. Severe toxicities were infrequently seen, with the exception of leukopenia (18%), among the 311 patients treated with CNF. In conclusion, the present study failed to demonstrate a 15% difference in RFS in favor of node-positive premenopausal patients treated with an additional 5 years of tamoxifen after CNF adjuvant chemotherapy and ovarian ablation. Similarly, six cycles of CNF preceding 5 years of tamoxifen did not translate to a 15% RFS benefit in node-positive postmenopausal patients.

A phase II study with CPT-11 plus leucovorin and bolus IV 5-fluorouracil in patients with advanced colorectal carcinoma.

Standard chemotherapy in advanced colorectal carcinoma (CRC) has not yet been established. The present study was conducted to assess the efficacy and toxicity profile of CPT-11, leucovorin (LV), and bolus 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in a weekly schedule. Fifty-five patients were entered with no prior chemotherapy for advanced disease or adjuvant treatment ended at least 6 months preceding study entry, and 45 were assessable for response. Patients were treated with CPT-11 80 mg/m2 (7 patients) or 70 mg/m2 (48 patients). After completion of CPT-11 infusion, LV 200 mg/m2 was administered over 2 hr followed immediately by 5-FU 450 mg/m2, IV bolus, weekly for 6 weeks followed by a 2-week rest period. Treatment was continued for four cycles. Because of grade 3 and 4 diarrhea in four of the first seven patients, the study was amended to reduce the starting dose of CPT-11 from 80 to 70 mg/m2 weekly. Four complete and 10 partial responses were observed (response rate: 25.5%), the median time to progression (TTP) was 7.7 months, 1-year survival rate was 62.3%, and the median overall survival was 15.0 months. Grade 3 and 4 diarrhea occurred in seven patients (12.7%), four of them treated with CPT-11 80 mg/m2. Grade 3 myelotoxicity occurred in five patients (9.0%). Toxic death because of diarrhea, neutropenia, bacteremia, and sepsis occurred in a patient treated with CPT-11 80 mg/m2. Our results confirm the efficacy of CPT-11, LV, and 5-FU in a weekly schedule in patients with advanced CRC. Further studies are needed to compare the present regimen with higher doses of CPT-11 with LV plus different schedules of 5-FU administration in the treatment of metastatic CRC.

bcl-2/bax ratio as a predictive marker for therapeutic response to radiotherapy in patients with rectal cancer.

Combined radiation therapy and chemotherapy are adjuvant treatments given after surgery to patients with rectal carcinoma. Because apoptosis seems to play a role in tumor response to radiotherapy, the current study investigates whether there is a correlation between the ratio of bcl-2 oncoprotein and bax expression in rectal adenocarcinoma and the clinical response to radiotherapy. Elective colectomy for primary rectal adenocarcinoma followed by adjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy was performed on 35 patients. Tumors were staged as B2 (n = 30) and C (n = 5), and were classified as radiation resistant (n = 19, group A) and radiation nonresistant (n = 16, group B). Immunohistochemical study, using the streptavidin-biotin complex technique and monoclonal antibody to bcl-2 and polyclonal antibody to bax protein was used on paraffin sections. Cases were considered positive if at least 5% of tumor cells displayed cytoplasmic staining for bcl-2 or bax. In each tumor, the bcl-2/bax ratio was calculated dividing the percentage of bcl-2-positive cells by the percentage of bax-positive cells. For statistical analysis, the Mann-Whitney rank sum test and Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance test were used. Rectal tumors of group A displayed significantly greater bcl-2 immunoreactivity (40.2 +/- 4.2) compared with group B (20.2 +/- 3.8). In contrast, expression of bax protein was less in group A (30.3 +/- 3.3) compared with group B (41.3 +/- 2.3). The bcl-2/bax ratio was greater in group A (1.3 +/- 0.1) compared with group B (0.49 +/- 0.1), and was correlated with poor responsiveness to radiotherapy. The current study indicates that in patients with rectal carcinoma an elevated bcl-2/bax ratio in tissue specimens suggests increased tumor resistance to adjuvant radiotherapy. Thus, in such patients, the bcl-2/bax ratio may serve as a potential molecular marker for prediction of tumor prognosis.