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Capecitabine maintenance therapy after first-line chemotherapy in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Chinese Journal of Cancer Research

Abstract

Objective

To evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of capecitabine maintenance therapy in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients.

Methods

From June 2001 to November 2006, after they had achieved clinical response from first-line chemotherapy, patients with mCRC in our hospital received two different treatment strategies. Thirty-three patients in maintenance group were treated with capecitabine 1000 mg/m2 po bid d1–14, q21d. Fifty-two patients in non-maintenance group did not receive any further chemotherapy.

Results

Patients in maintenance group and non-maintenance group both received FOLFOX, FOLFIRI and XELOX as first-line therapy. The median chemotherapy cycles the two groups received were the same (6 vs 6). The response rates of first-line chemotherapy were 33.3% in maintenance group and 32.7% in non-maintenance group. Patients in maintenance group received 3–9 cycles of capecitabine therapy (median cycle 4). 29/33 (87.9%) patients in maintenance group and 47/52 (90.4%) in non-maintenance group received following second-line chemotherapy, and no patients underwent targeted therapy. The median survival time and TTP were 40.4 months (95%CI: 24.2–56.6) and 9.0 months (95%CI: 6.7–11.3) in maintenance group, as compared with 21.5 months (95%CI: 14.9–28.0, P=0.015) and 6.5 months (95%CI: 4.4–8.5, P=0.007) in non-maintenance group. No severe adverse event was observed in the capecitabine maintenance group.

Conclusion

mCRC patients could benefit from capecitabine maintenance therapy by prolonging survival time and TTP.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Beijing, China

    Yan Li, Jing Li, Ming Lu, Xi-cheng Wang & Lin Shen

  2. Department of GI Oncology, Peking University School of Oncology, Beijing Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, 100142, China

    Yan Li, Jing Li, Ming Lu, Xi-cheng Wang & Lin Shen

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  1. Yan Li
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  2. Jing Li
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  3. Ming Lu
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  4. Xi-cheng Wang
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  5. Lin Shen
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Correspondence to Lin Shen.

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Li, Y., Li, J., Lu, M. et al. Capecitabine maintenance therapy after first-line chemotherapy in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. Chin. J. Cancer Res. 22, 181–185 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11670-010-0181-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11670-010-0181-x

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