Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

Prognostic factors for tumour response, progression-free survival and toxicity in metastatic colorectal cancer patients given irinotecan (CPT-11) as second-line chemotherapy after 5FU failure

This article has been updated

Abstract

Our purpose was to determine, in patients with metastatic colorectal carcinoma treated with irinotecan single-agent after 5-FU failure, the most significant predictive parameters for tumour response, progression-free survival and toxicity. Between October 1992 and April 1995, 455 patients with 5-FU resistant metastatic colorectal carcinoma entered four consecutive phase II trials. The first two studies assessed tumour response, the other two were randomized studies which assessed the efficacy of racecadotril to prevent irinotecan-induced diarrhoea. Due to homogeneous main eligibility criterias, data from those studies could be pooled for statistical analysis. Potential clinical and biological predictive factors (PF) for toxicity, tumour growth control, e.g. response or stabilization and progression-free survival (PFS), were studied in multivariate analysis. 363 patients were evaluable for response, 432 were evaluable for PFS, 368 for neutropenia and 416 for delayed diarrhoea, respectively. Normal baseline haemoglobin level (Hb), time since diagnosis of colorectal carcinoma, grade 3 or 4 neutropenia or diarrhoea at first cycle and a low number of organs involved were the most PF for tumour growth control (P< 0.05). Significant prognostic variables for PFS were WHO Performance Status, liver and lymph-node involvement, time since diagnosis, age and CEA value (P≤ 0.02). Six groups of patients based on the number of unfavourable prognostic factors are presented. Baseline bilirubin, haemoglobin level, number of organs involved and time from diagnosis were PF for neutropenia; PS, serum creatinine, leukocyte count, time from 5-FU progression and prior abdominopelvic irradiation were PF for delayed diarrhoea (P≤ 0.05). These PF should help clinicians to anticipate for a given patient the probability to observe a response/stabilization or a toxicity. These results should also be prospectively confirmed in ongoing or future trials using irinotecan, both as a single agent and in combination with other drugs. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaign

Change history

  • 16 November 2011

    This paper was modified 12 months after initial publication to switch to Creative Commons licence terms, as noted at publication

References

  • Advanced Colorectal Cancer Meta-analysis Project (1992) 2. Modulation of fluorouracil by leucovorin in patients with advanced colorectal cancer: evidence in terms of response rates. J Clin Oncol 10: 896–903

  • Advanced Colorectal Cancer Meta-analysis Project (1994) Meta-analysis of randomized trials testing the biochemical modulation of fluorouracil by methotrexate in metastatic colorectal cancer. J Clin Oncol 5: 960–969

  • Ahlgren JD, Trocki O and Gullo JJ (1991) Protracted infusion of 5FU with weekly low dose cisplatin as a second line therapy in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who have failed 5-FU monotherapy. Cancer Invest 9: 27–33

    CAS  Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Allen M, Cunningham D and Schmitt C (1998) The importance of stabilization as an endpoint in the treatment of metastatic colorectal carcinoma: recent quality of life studies. Anticancer Drugs 9: 783–790

    CAS  Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Bertrand M, Doroshow JH, Multhauf P, Blayney DW, Carr BI and Cecchi G (1992) High dose continuous infusion folinic acid and bolus 5-fluorouracil in patients with advanced colorectal cancer: a randomized trial. J Clin Oncol 10: 904–911

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brienza S, Levi F and Valori VM (1993) Intensified (every 2 weeks) chronotherapy with 5-fluorouracil folinic acid and oxaliplatin in previously treated patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. Proc Am Soc Clin Oncol 12: 125, 620

    Google Scholar 

  • Canal P, Gay C, Dezeuze A, Douillard JY, Bugat R, Brunet R, Adenis A, Herait P, Lokiec F and Mathieu-Boue A (1996) Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of Irinotecan during a phase II clinical trial in colorectal cancer. J Clin Oncol 14: 2688–2695

    CAS  Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chabot GG, Abigerges A, Catimel G, Culine S, de Forni M, Extra JM, Majoubi M, Herait P, Armand JP and Bugat R (1995) Population pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of irinotecan (CPT-11) and active metabolite SN-38 during phase I trials. Ann Oncol 6: 141–151

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cunningham D, Pyrrhönen S, James RD, Punt CJ, Hickish TF, Heikkila R, Yohannesen TD, Starkkhammar H, Topham CA, Awwad L, Jacques C and Herait P (1998) Randomised trial of irinotecan plus supportive care versus supportive care alone after fluorouracil failure for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. The Lancet 352: 1401–1418

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Gramont A, Bosset JF, Milan C, Rougier P, Bouché O, Etienne PL, Morvan F, Louvet C, Guillot T, François E and Bedenne L (1997) Randomized trial comparing monthly low-dose leucovorin and fluorouracil bolus with bimonthly high-dose leucovorin and fluorouracil bolus plus continuous infusion for advanced colorectal cancer: a french intergroup study. J Clin Oncol 15: 808–815

    CAS  Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • de Gramont A, Vignoud J, Tournigand C, Louvet C, Varette C, Raymond E, Moreau S, Le Bail N and Krulik M (1997) Oxaliplatin with high dose folinic acid and 5 fluorouracil 48 hours infusion in pretreated metastatic colorectal cancer. Eur J Cancer 33: 214–219

    CAS  Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Glimelius B, Hoffman K, Graf W, Páhlman L and Sjödén PO (1994) Quality of life during chemotherapy in patient with symptomatic advanced colorectal cancer. Cancer 73: 556–562

    CAS  Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Izzo J, Cvitkovic E, Zarba J, Chadjaa M, May-Levin F and Riggi M (1992) Low dose 5FU continuous infusion in advanced colorectal cancer: Clinical evidence for reversal of acquired/intrinsic resistance to 5-FU or 5-FU folinic Acid. Ann Oncol 5: 38–43

    Google Scholar 

  • Nordic Gastrointestinal Tumor Adjuvant Project (1992) Expectancy of primary chemotherapy in patients with advanced asymptomatic colorectal cancer: a randomized trial. J Clin Oncol 10: 904–911

  • Pitot HC, Wender DB, O'Connell MJ, Schroeder G, Goldberg RM, Rubin J, Mailliard JA, Knost JA, Ghosh C, Kirschling PJ, Levitt R and Windschitl HE (1997) Phase II trial of irinotecan in patients with metastatic colorectal carcinoma. J Clin Oncol 15: 2910–2919

    CAS  Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Rougier P, Bugat R, Douillard JY, Culine S, Suc E, Brunet P, Becouarn Y, Ychou M, Marty M, Extra JM, Bonneterre J, Adenis A, Seitz JF, Ganem G, Namer M, Conroy T, Negrier S, Merrouche Y, Burki F, Mousseau M, Herait P and Mahjoubi M (1997) Phase II study of irinotecan in the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer in chemotherapy-naive patients and patients pretreated with fluorouracil-based chemotherapy. J Clin Oncol 15: 251–260

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rougier P, Milan C, Lazorthes F, Fourtanier G, Partensky C, Baumel H and Faivre J (1995) Prospective study of prognostic factors in patients with unresected hepatic metastases from colorectal cancer. Br J Surg 82: 1397–1400

    CAS  Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rougier Ph, Van Cutsem E, Bajetta E, Niederle N, Possinger C, Labianca,, Navarro M, Moraut R, Bleigerg H, Nils J, Awad L, Herait P and Jacques C (1998) Randomized trial of irinotecan versus fluorouracil by continuous infusion after fluorouracil failure in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. The Lancet 352: 1407–1412

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saltz L, Danenberg K and Paty P (1998) High thymidylate synthase expression does not preclude activity of CPT-11 in colorectal cancer. Proc Am Soc Clin Oncol 281a: 1210

    Google Scholar 

  • Scheithauer W, Rosen H, Kornek GV, Sebesta C and Depisch D (1993) Randomized comparison of combination chemotherapy plus supportive care or supportive care alone in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. BMJ 306: 752–755

    CAS  Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Affiliations

Authors

Consortia

Rights and permissions

From twelve months after its original publication, this work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Freyer, G., Rougier, P., Bugat, R. et al. Prognostic factors for tumour response, progression-free survival and toxicity in metastatic colorectal cancer patients given irinotecan (CPT-11) as second-line chemotherapy after 5FU failure. Br J Cancer 83, 431–437 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1054/bjoc.2000.1303

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1054/bjoc.2000.1303

Keywords

  • irinotecan
  • colorectal cancer
  • prognostic factors
  • survival
  • toxicity

Further reading

Search

Quick links