Raltitrexed: cost-effective therapy for colorectal cancer

Abstract

The final analysis of data from an international, multicentre phase IIIa trial confirms that raltitrexed [‘Tomudex’; Zeneca] leads to similar response rates and palliative benefits as the standard Mayo regimen of fluorouracil + calcium folinate [leucovorin calcium] in patients with advanced colorectal cancer. However, raltitrexed has a number of apparent benefits over fluorouracil + calcium folinate therapy, according to the study. These include a greater improvement in quality of life (QOL) and a more convenient dosing schedule. A separate retrospective study indicated that raltitrexed may also be more cost effective than various regimens of fluorouracil + calcium folinate. Both of these studies were reported at the 21st Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) [ Vienna, Austria; November 1996 ]. Raltitrexed is also being investigated in combination with irinotecan [‘Campto’; Rhône-Poulenc Rorer] in patients with fluorouracil-resistant colorectal cancer.