Research Information System
Erciyes Tip Dergisi, vol.25, no.3, pp.144-149, 2003 (SCI-Expanded)
Purpose: Determination of efficacy of 5-fluorouracil containing chemotherapy regimens in advanced colorectal cancer. Patients and Method: In this study, 74 advanced colorectal cancer patients followed at Erciyes University Medical Faculty Medical Oncology clinic between January 1994 and December 2000, to whom curative surgery could not be performed and palliative chemotherapy was administered, were evaluated retrospectively. Results: Of 74 patients 38 were male, 36 female and median age was 55 years (range 25-77). Twenty-five patients were in locally advanced stage, 49 patients in metastatic stage. 5-fluorouracil (FU) and folinic acid (FU+FA) was administered to 42 patients, FU to 13 patients, irinotecan/FU+FA to 10 patients, and FU-doxorubicin-mitomycin C (FAM) to 9 patients. Complete remission was obtained in 12 patients (16.2%), partial remission in 25 patients (45.6%). Median overall survival was calculated as 9.50±3.38 months and progression free survival 7.00±2.58 months in all patients. There was no statistically significant difference between FU+FA, FU, FAM, irinotecan/FU+FA chemotherapy groups in terms of progression free and overall survival (p=0.19 and 0.17 respectively). Conclusion: 5-FU combination chemotherapy has an important role in the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer. In respect to effect on survival and quality of life, treatment should be started immediately in good performance patients if curative surgery is not possible.