Although 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), leucovorin and oxaliplatin (FOLFOX) is a standard treatment for colon cancer, this regimen has never been tested in the adjuvant setting for locally advanced rectal cancer. In the ADORE multicentre, randomized, phase II study, patients with stage II/III rectal cancer following chemoradiotherapy treatment were randomly assigned to either 5-FU plus leucovorin or FOLFOX. The primary end point of disease-free survival (DFS) was achieved in significantly more patients treated with FOLFOX (71.6%) than those receiving 5-FU and leucovorin (62.9%). All-grade neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, fatigue, nausea and sensory neuropathy were more common after treatment with FOLFOX compared with 5-FU plus leucovorin. Thus, FOLFOX improves DFS in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer.
References
Hong, Y. S. et al. Oxaliplatin, fluorouracil, and leucovorin versus fluorouracil and leucovorin as adjuvant chemotherapy for locally advanced rectal cancer after preoperative chemoradiotherapy (ADORE): an open-label, multicentre, phase 2, randomised controlled trial. Lancet Oncol. 10.1016/S1470-2045(14)70377-8
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Adjuvant FOLFOX improves DFS in patients with rectal cancer. Nat Rev Clin Oncol 11, 624 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrclinonc.2014.160
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrclinonc.2014.160
