"Misura" project: a retrospective survey on the use of 5fluorouracil in the treatment of colorectal cancer in 24 Italian clinical centers.
The "Misura" project is a retrospective survey, with the aim to evaluate how 5FU is used in the treatment of colorectal cancer in clinical practice in Italian oncology departments. Twenty-four centers participated. Patients seen in the second half of 1998 with colorectal cancer and treated with 5FU were analyzed. Observed patients were 664, 45.9% of patients presented metastatic disease. Biochemical modulation with folinic acid and bolus 5FU was the most used schedule (59%). The De Gramont (LV 5FU2) regimen, alone or with other cytotoxic drugs, was the second most chosen schedule (14%). The most frequent side effect observed was gastrointestinal toxicity. No hematological toxicity was demonstrated in 68.8% of patients. Cutaneous toxicity occurred in 21.1% of patients. 5FU is widely used independently by the stage of disease. In palliative treatment a variety of schedules were administered by the Italian centers, lacking a standard therapy. There are very few surveys investigating oncology clinical practice. A larger survey on this issue is auspicable.
Poletti
Paola
P
Unità Operativa di Oncologia Medica, Ospedali Riuniti, Bergamo, Italy.
Pinotti
Graziella
G
Rosati
Gerardo
G
Luppi
Gabriele
G
Ibrahim
Toni
T
Marinozzi
Claudio
C
Pucci
Francesca
F
Pancera
Gianfranco
G
Biasco
Guido
G
Barni
Sandro
S
Garufi
Carlo
C
Martignoni
Giancarlo
G
Visonà
Giovanni
G
Labianca
Roberto
R
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002173:Cancer Care Facilities; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D002955:Leucovorin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010166:Palliative Care; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; D002955:Leucovorin; D005472:Fluorouracil