BACKGROUND

This multicentre phase II study evaluated the efficacy and safety of irinotecan combined with the Nordic schedule of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and folinic acid (FA) as first-line therapy in patients with advanced colorectal cancer.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Seventy-four patients with measurable disease and a WHO performance status of 2 or less were treated with irinotecan 210 mg/m(2) as a 30-90 min intravenous infusion on day 1, followed by 5-FU 500 mg/m(2) and FA 60 mg/m(2) bolus on days 1 and 2, every 2 weeks, until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. The primary end point was the objective response rate.

RESULTS

Twenty-nine out of 68 evaluable patients achieved a complete (n = 7) or partial (n = 22) response, leading to an overall response rate of 43% [95% confidence interval (CI) 31% to 55%]. The median duration of response was 10 months. The estimated median time to progression and survival were 6.4 months (95% CI 5.4-9.0) and 15.6 months (95% CI 13.3-19.0), respectively, in the intention-to-treat population. A total of 860 cycles were administered to 74 patients. Neutropenia was the main adverse event with grade 3-4 toxicity in 66% of patients and 17.5% of cycles. Grade 3-4 non-haematological toxicities were infrequent and included diarrhoea in 16% of patients and 2% of cycles and nausea/vomiting in 10% of patients and 1% of cycles.

CONCLUSIONS

Irinotecan combined with the bolus Nordic schedule of 5-FU/FA is active in advanced colorectal cancer with an easily managed safety profile which ensures good schedule compliance. The low incidence of grade 3-4 non-haematological toxicity justifies the further evaluation of this combination in the context of randomised clinical trials.