Background & objective: Although 5-fluarouracil (5-FU)-based chemotherapy has become a standard regimen for treatment of recurrent and metastatic colorectal cancer, the efficacy, as a second line therapy, is not high. Thus, it is necessary to find a new regimen as a substitute. This study was to evaluate the short-term effects and toxicity of combination of hydroxycamptothecine (HCPT) plus oxaliplatin (L-OHP) protocol in the treatment of recurrent and metastatic colorectal cancer.
Methods: 47 patients with pathological evidence of recurrent and metastatic colorectal cancer were enrolled and treated with HCPT plus L-OHP regimen for 86 cycles. All patients were treated with (L-OHP 130 mg/m(2), day 1 and HCPT 6 mg/m(2), day 1-4) and the chemotherapy was repeated every 3 weeks. The short-term effects and side effects were evaluated after every 2 cycles for each patient.
Results: 38 cases were evaluable and RR [complete remission (CR)+partial remission (PR)] was 36.8% (14/38). KPS was improved in 20 cases (52.6%). In total 86 cycles, leucopenia occurred in 59 cycles (68.6%), 18 cycles (30.5%) in grade III and IV, and diarrhea occurred in 48 cycles (55.8%), 18 cycles (37.5%) in grade III and IV. One year survival rate was 40.0% and medium overall survival (mOS) and medium progression free survival (mPFS) were 11.7 and 7.8 months, respectively.
Conclusions: HCPT plus L-OHP regimen achieved relatively satisfactory short-term effects in the treatment for colorectal cancer patients, who suffered from recurrence and metastasis after the first-line chemotherapy with 5-FU. The main toxicities of the regimen were leucopenia and diarrhea.