title: Low-dose chemotherapy is practically useful for the patients with intrapelvic recurrence of rectal cancer.
abstract: The aim was to assess the practical efficacy of low-dose chemotherapy in patients with intrapelvic recurrence of rectal cancer without radiotherapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  The records of 13 patients treated with low-dose chemotherapy for intrapelvic recurrence of rectal cancer between 1996 and 2003 were retrospectively reviewed. The patients had received low-dose leucovorin and 5-fluorouracil (LV/5-FU) as first-line and low-dose irinotecan and cisplatin regimen (CPT-11/CDDP) as second-line therapy without radiotherapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  With the LV/5-FU treatment, no patients showed a complete response (CR), two patients showed a partial response (PR), three patients had stable disease (SD), and eight patients experienced progressive disease (PD), giving a response rate (RR) of 15.4% and a disease control rate (DCR) of 38.5%. With the CPT-1/CDDP treatment, no patients showed CR or PR, three patients had SD, and ten patients had PD, which results in a DCR of 23.1%. The progression-free survival (PFS) of LV/5-FU and CPT-11/CDDP were 4.7 months and 4.7 months respectively. The median survival time (MST) of all the patients was 17.3 months. There were no patients who experienced grade 3 or 4 of any adverse reaction during the course of these regimens.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggest that low-dose chemotherapy for intrapelvic recurrence of rectal cancer without radiotherapy could be acceptable. For patients who refused radiotherapy in order to avoid adverse effects, these low-dose low toxicity chemotherapy regimens might be recommended.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Tokyo Women's Medical University Medical Center East, Arakawa-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yoshimatsu
authors.forename: Hajime
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yokomizo
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fujimoto
authors.forename: Arihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Umehara
authors.forename: Taisuke
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Otani
authors.forename: Atsuo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Gakuji
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Osawa
authors.forename: Shunichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shiozawa
authors.forename: Takao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Katsube
authors.forename: Yoshihiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Naritaka
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ogawa
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000009:adverse effects; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D002955:Leucovorin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010388:Pelvis; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality*
chemical_list: D002955:Leucovorin; D005472:Fluorouracil