title: Survival benefit of oral tegafur/uracil and leucovorin as a first line therapy for elderly patients with advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This phase II trial was performed to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of tegafur/uracil (UFT) and oral leucovorin (LV) in elderly patients with advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer who had not received prior chemotherapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients aged > or = 70 years were eligible. UFT and LV were taken orally on days 1-28 of the cycle at doses of 300 mg/m2/day and 75 mg/m2/day, respectively. Treatment was administered on an outpatient basis every 35 days and consisted of at least two cycles until disease progression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 30 patients were enrolled in this study. The median age of the patients was 81.5 years (range: 74-88 years). The observed overall response rate was 17.9%. The estimated median overall survival time was 23.5 months. Two patients (7%) experienced toxicities with a worst grade of 3, and one patient (4%) experienced toxicities with a worst grade of 4. There were no treatment-related deaths. No patients experienced grade 3 or 4 hematological adverse events.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although the response rate to UFT/LV was moderate, a favorable survival time was observed. Lower hematological adverse event rate of UFT/LV may introduce second line therapy safely to elderly colorectal cancer patients and contribute longer survival.
authors.forename: Kohei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Murata
authors.forename: Hirofumi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Mutsumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fukunaga
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Tadashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohnishi
authors.forename: Yoshio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Uemura
authors.forename: Hirofumi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ohta
authors.forename: Fumihiko
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ohue
authors.forename: Riichiro
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nezu
authors.forename: Mitsugu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sekimoto
authors.forename: Masataka
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ikeda
authors.forename: Tsunekazu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mizushimaz
authors.forename: Yuichiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Doki
authors.forename: Masaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mori
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D002955:Leucovorin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008297:Male; D015996:Survival Rate; D005641:Tegafur / Q000008:administration & dosage; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014498:Uracil / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D005641:Tegafur; D014498:Uracil; D002955:Leucovorin