title: Elderly patients with advanced colorectal cancer: tolerability and activity of chemotherapy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Colorectal cancer is the most common gastrointestinal tumor in Western countries and is increasing in elderly patients. In recent years, new treatments based on the use of 5-fluorouracil associated with oxaliplatin or CPT-11 have shown promising activity. The aim of the present study was to analyze the tolerability and activity of chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil plus oxaliplatin or CPT-11 in elderly patients with advanced colorectal cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients aged 70 years or older with advanced colorectal cancer were treated with 5-fluorouracil (400 mg/m2 in bolus and 600 mg/m2 in a 22-hr continuous infusion on days 1-2) plus folinic acid (100 mg/m2) associated to oxaliplatin (85 mg/m2 on day 1, FOLFOX regimen) or CPT-11 (180 mg/m2 on day 1, FOLFIRI regimen), every 14 days.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-nine patients with a median age of 76 years (range, 70-82) were treated with FOLFOX or FOLFIRI as first-line chemotherapy for metastatic disease. We observed a partial response in 8/29 (27.6%), stable disease in 11/29 (37.9%) and progressive disease in 10/29 (34.5%). Median survival was 21 months; 1-year survival probability was 89.8%. Grade III leukopenia was observed in 2/29 (7%) patients and grade III diarrhea in 1/29 patients. No other grade III-IV toxicity was observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  FOLFOX and FOLFIRI appear to be active and well tolerated regimens for elderly patients with advanced colorectal cancer.
authors.affiliation: Clinica di Oncologia Medica, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Ospedali Riuniti Unmberto 1, G.M. Lancisi, G. Salesi, Ancona, Italy. rossana.berardi@libero.it
authors.forename: Rossana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Berardi
authors.forename: Tiziana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Saladino
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mari
authors.forename: Rosa Rita
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Scartozzi
authors.forename: Lorena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Verdecchia
authors.forename: Azzurra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Onofri
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cascinu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002166:Camptothecin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000139:chemically induced; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D002955:Leucovorin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D007970:Leukopenia / Q000139:chemically induced; D008297:Male; D009944:Organoplatinum Compounds / Q000008:administration & dosage; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D009944:Organoplatinum Compounds; D002955:Leucovorin; D005472:Fluorouracil; D002166:Camptothecin