[Postoperative Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Stage III Colon Cancer--Drug Selection, Tolerability, and Safety in Clinical Practice].

ABSTRACT

In the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines, oxaliplatin (L-OHP)-based chemotherapeutic regimens, including 5-fluorouracil, Leucovorin (LV), and L-OHP (FOLFOX); capecitabine and L-OHP (CapeOX); and 5-fluorouracil, folinic acid, and L-OHP (FLOX) are designated as category 1 recommendations for postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy in Stage III colon cancer, followed by capecitabine and 5-fluorouracil plus LV as category 2A recommendations. We studied the selection of drugs for adjuvant chemotherapy and assessed the tolerability and safety of CapeOX and tegafur-uracil (UFT) plus LV (UFT/LV) in patients with Stage III colon cancer. The study group included 104 consecutive patients with Stage III colon cancer who underwent curative surgery. One patient changed hospitals immediately after surgery. Among the remaining 103 patients, 82 (80%) received adjuvant chemotherapy and 21 (20%) did not. CapeOX was administered to 32 patients (31%), UFT/LV to 49 patients (48%), and capecitabine to 1 patient (1%). In 59 patients, the treatment choice was determined according to the patient's preference; 32 patients (54%) selected CapeOX, 26 (44%) selected UFT/LV, and 1 (2%) selected no chemotherapy. The treatment completion rate was 80% for CapeOX and 84% for UFT/LV. Among patients who completed chemotherapy, dose reduction and drug withdrawal were not required in 22% of patients who received CapeOX and 80% of those who received UFT/LV. Neither CapeOX nor UFT/LV was associated with any serious adverse events. The tolerability and safety of CapeOX and UFT/LV were acceptable. However, CapeOX dose had to be carefully adjusted according to each patient's condition.