In a nutshell
This study investigated the change in outcomes over 10-years in patients with stage 3 colon cancer who received FOLFOX chemotherapy. Researchers suggested that this treatment improved the outcomes of these patients.
Some background
Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women in the US. The standard treatment is surgery and chemotherapy. FOLFOX chemotherapy consists of leucovorin (folinic acid), 5-fluorouracil (Adrucil), and oxaliplatin (Eloxatin).
The addition of oxaliplatin (FOLFOX) was associated with improved disease-free survival (DFS; time from treatment to disease progression) compared to leucovorin plus 5-fluorouracil therapy. The 10-year follow-up also confirmed the survival benefit given by oxaliplatin in stage 3 colon cancer. This has shown the necessary evidence to determine FOLFOX as the standard treatment after surgery. However, the change of outcomes over a 10-year period in these patients is yet to be determined.
Methods & findings
This study included information about 6501 patients with stage 3 colon cancer. This data came from 6 trials. Patients received either FOLFOX (2004-2009) or FLOX (1998-2003) after surgery. FLOX consists of the same drugs as FOLFOX but on a different dose and delivery schedule (older regimen).
Patients in the FOLFOX group had a significant improvement in time to recurrence. These patients had a 17% improvement in the odds of a better 3-year recurrence rate compared to FLOX. They also had a 12% improvement in the odds of a better 3-year DFS and 22% improvement in the odds of a better 5-year overall survival.
The overall survival rate at 5 years was 80.9% in the FOLFOX group compared to 75.7% in the FLOX group. The improved outcomes were observed mainly in patients with 45 years of age or older and low-risk patients.
The bottom line
This study concluded that FOLFOX improves the long-term outcomes of patients with stage 3 colon cancer.
Published By :
Annals of oncology: official journal of the European Society for Medical Oncology
Date :
Apr 01, 2020