First-line chemotherapy with low-dose leucovorin plus 5-fluorouracil (LV/5-FU) for elderly patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the practical efficacy of low-dose leucovorin plus 5-fluorouracil (LV/5-FU) in elderly patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.


METHODS
The records of 20 patients treated with LV/5-FU for unresectable metastatic disease from colorectal cancer from 1999 to 2004 were retrospectively reviewed. The patients received LV/5-FU as first-line, and low-dose CPT-11 and CDDP regimen (CPT-11/CDDP) as second-line therapy.


RESULTS
In the treatment of LV/5-FU, no patients had CR, 3 patients had PR, 4 patients had SD and 13 patients had PD, which results in a response rate (RR) of 15% and in a disease control rate (DCR) of 35%. MST of all patients was 18.4 months. There was one patient who experienced grade 3 or 4 adverse reactions during the course of these regimens.


CONCLUSIONS
Low-dose LV/5-FU chemotherapy in elderly patients with metastatic colorectal cancer could be acceptable in order to avoid adverse effects and to obtain quite a favorable survival time.
Yoshimatsu
Kazuhiko
K
Department of Surgery, Tokyo Women's Medical University Medical Center East, Arakawa-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
Yokomizo
Hajime
H
Fujimoto
Takashi
T
Umehara
Arihiro
A
Otani
Taisuke
T
Matsumoto
Atsuo
A
Osawa
Gakuji
G
Shiozawa
Shunichi
S
Katsube
Takao
T
Naritaka
Yoshihiko
Y
Ogawa
Kenji
K
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D002955:Leucovorin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008297:Male; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D002955:Leucovorin; D005472:Fluorouracil