RESUMO
AIMS AND BACKGROUND: Capecitabine is the reference treatment for anthracycline- and/or taxane-pretreated metastatic breast cancer (MBC). This study examined its efficacy, tolerability and impact on the quality of life of elderly patients with MBC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January 2002 and December 2009, 75 consecutive elderly patients with MBC received first-line chemotherapy with capecitabine 1000 mg/m2 twice daily for 14 days every 3 weeks. Endpoints were efficacy, tolerability and clinical-benefit response measured every 3 cycles. RESULTS: Median age was 76 years (range 65-88); median ECOG performance status was 1 (range 0-2); 51 patients (68%) had received adjuvant chemotherapy and all patients had received hormonal therapy. Median exposure was 6 cycles. After 3 cycles, 11 patients (14.7%) had a partial response, one patient experienced a complete response, and 49 patients (65.3%) had stable disease, amounting to a disease control rate of 81.3%. Stable disease was maintained in 45 patients (60%) after 6 cycles, in 21 patients (28%) after 9 cycles, and in 13 patients (17.3%) after 12 cycles. A clinical-benefit response was experienced by 42 patients (56%), indicating a positive impact on quality of life. Treatment was well tolerated, the most common grade 3 events being diarrhea (12%) hand-foot syndrome (8%), and mucositis (8%). Adverse events were managed with dose adjustments and supportive therapy when required. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that capecitabine is active and well tolerated in elderly patients with MBC. This dosing regimen warrants further study in the first-line setting for patients with less aggressive MBC who are not candidates for combination therapy.
Assuntos
Antimetabólitos Antineoplásicos/uso terapêutico , Neoplasias da Mama/tratamento farmacológico , Neoplasias da Mama/patologia , Desoxicitidina/análogos & derivados , Fluoruracila/análogos & derivados , Qualidade de Vida , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Antimetabólitos Antineoplásicos/administração & dosagem , Antimetabólitos Antineoplásicos/efeitos adversos , Antineoplásicos Hormonais/uso terapêutico , Protocolos de Quimioterapia Combinada Antineoplásica/uso terapêutico , Neoplasias da Mama/mortalidade , Capecitabina , Quimioterapia Adjuvante , Desoxicitidina/administração & dosagem , Desoxicitidina/efeitos adversos , Desoxicitidina/uso terapêutico , Diarreia/induzido quimicamente , Intervalo Livre de Doença , Esquema de Medicação , Feminino , Fluoruracila/administração & dosagem , Fluoruracila/efeitos adversos , Fluoruracila/uso terapêutico , Síndrome Mão-Pé/etiologia , Humanos , Estimativa de Kaplan-Meier , Mucosite/induzido quimicamente , Estadiamento de Neoplasias , Estudos Retrospectivos , Resultado do TratamentoAssuntos
Inibidores da Angiogênese/uso terapêutico , Anticorpos Monoclonais/uso terapêutico , Protocolos de Quimioterapia Combinada Antineoplásica/uso terapêutico , Neoplasias Colorretais/tratamento farmacológico , Neoplasias Hepáticas/tratamento farmacológico , Inibidores da Angiogênese/efeitos adversos , Anticorpos Monoclonais/efeitos adversos , Anticorpos Monoclonais Humanizados , Protocolos de Quimioterapia Combinada Antineoplásica/administração & dosagem , Protocolos de Quimioterapia Combinada Antineoplásica/efeitos adversos , Bevacizumab , Quimioterapia Adjuvante , Neoplasias Colorretais/genética , Neoplasias Colorretais/mortalidade , Neoplasias Colorretais/patologia , Progressão da Doença , Fluoruracila/administração & dosagem , Genes ras/efeitos dos fármacos , Humanos , Leucovorina/administração & dosagem , Neoplasias Hepáticas/secundário , Mutação/efeitos dos fármacos , Compostos Organoplatínicos/administração & dosagem , Análise de SobrevidaRESUMO
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: In the recent X-ACT (Xeloda in Adjuvant Colon cancer Therapy) trial, oral capecitabine (Xeloda) demonstrated superior efficacy and an improved safety profile compared with infused fluorouracil + leucovorin (folinic acid) [FU+LV] in patients with Dukes' C colorectal cancer. We used the X-ACT results to determine the cost effectiveness of capecitabine compared with FU+LV from the perspective of the Italian National Health Service (NHS). METHODS: Medical resource use data were collected throughout the treatment period. Unit costs for drug administration, hospitalization, emergency room visits and concomitant medications were obtained using Italian published sources. A health-state transition model was used to estimate the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio per quality-adjusted life-month (QALM) gains in the intent-to-treat population (1004 and 983 patients in the capecitabine and FU+LV arms, respectively). Costs and effectiveness were discounted at 3.5%. Costs were calculated in euros (2005 values). RESULTS: Administration of capecitabine required fewer clinic visits per patient than FU+LV (7.35 vs 28.0, respectively). Mean acquisition costs per patient for capecitabine were higher than for FU+LV (euro 2533 vs euro 231, respectively), but this difference was offset by the difference in mean chemotherapy administration costs per patient for FU+LV (euro 4338, compared with euro 152 for capecitabine). Mean total hospital days and medication costs for treatment-related adverse events were higher for FU+LV than for capecitabine (euro 352 vs euro 78, respectively). The cost of emergency room visits for the treatment of adverse events did not differ between the treatment groups. With respect to the lifetime horizon, compared with FU+LV, capecitabine is projected to increase QALMs by a mean 6.5 months, with overall cost savings of euro 2234 over the treatment period. These findings show that capecitabine is an economically dominant treatment in this setting. CONCLUSIONS: Adjuvant capecitabine for patients with Dukes' C colon cancer has the same activity in terms of outcome when compared with FU+LV but is a lower cost option from the economic perspective of the Italian NHS.