title: Comparison of neoadjuvant oral chemotherapy with UFT plus Folinic acid or Capecitabine concomitant with radiotherapy on locally advanced rectal cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the differences in treatment response and the impact on survival with both oral agents (UFT and Capecitabine) as neoadjuvant chemotherapy administered concomitantly with radiotherapy.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  There are still no studies comparing the use of neoadjuvant oral chemotherapy either with UFT plus Folinic acid or Capecitabine concomitant with radiotherapy in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC).
  
  
  METHODS
  A set of 112 patients with LARC were treated preoperatively. GROUP 1 - 61 patients underwent concomitant oral chemotherapy with Capecitabine (825 mg/m(2) twice daily). GROUP 2 - 51 patients submitted to concomitant oral chemotherapy with UFT (300 mg/m(2)/d) + Folinic acid (90 mg/d) and radiotherapy. 57.1% of patients were submitted to adjuvant chemotherapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  GROUP 1: acute toxicity - 80.3%; pathological complete response (pCR) - 10.5%; tumor downstaging (TD) - 49.1%; nodal downstaging (ND) - 76.5%; loco-regional response (LRR) - 71.9%; toxicity to adjuvant chemotherapy - 75%. GROUP 2: acute toxicity - 80.4%; pCR - 28%; TD - 62%; ND - 75.6%; LRR - 78%; toxicity to adjuvant chemotherapy - 56%. There was no difference in survival nor loco-regional control between the groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients treated with neoadjuvant oral UFT + Folinic acid had a higher rate of pathologic complete response than patients treated with Capecitabine concomitant with radiotherapy. There were no differences in downstaging, LRR, toxicity, survival or loco-regional control between both groups. There was a trend to a higher rate of toxicity to adjuvant chemotherapy in the Capecitabine group.
authors.affiliation: Radiotherapy Department, Hospitais da Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal.
authors.forename: Sofia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Conde
authors.affiliation: Radiotherapy Department, Hospitais da Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal.
authors.forename: Margarida
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Borrego
authors.affiliation: Radiotherapy Department, Hospitais da Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal.
authors.forename: Tânia
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Teixeira
authors.affiliation: Radiotherapy Department, Hospitais da Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal.
authors.forename: Rubina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Teixeira
authors.affiliation: Oncology Department, Hospitais da Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal.
authors.forename: Anabela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sá
authors.affiliation: Radiotherapy Department, Hospitais da Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal.
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Soares
keywords: Capecitabine; Neoadjuvant oral chemoradiotherapy; Pathologic complete response; Rectal cancer; UFT plus Folinic acid