In a nutshell
This study evaluated the effectiveness of fluorouracil (Adrucil) chemotherapy after surgery in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The authors concluded that treatment with fluorouracil resulted in prolonged recurrence-free survival compared to standard chemotherapy regimens.
Some background
Adjuvant therapy is given in addition to initial treatment to improve treatment results. Commonly, surgery is followed by adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with NSCLC. The standard adjuvant chemotherapy for these patients uses vinorelbine (Navelbine) and cisplatin (Platinol). Some patients are not able to take these drugs because of health reasons or side effects. It’s possible that other chemotherapy drugs, such as fluorouracil, might be more effective as adjuvant therapy.
Methods & findings
The study included 344 patients with NSCLC treated with surgery. Half of the patients (172) were treated with fluorouracil (group 1) and the other half were treated with vinorelbine/cisplatin adjuvant therapy (group 2).
The authors looked at recurrence-free survival rate (RFS; patients alive without a return of cancer). There was a 59% higher RFS for patients in group 1 compared to those in group 2. Patients in group 1 had an 81% longer time to recurrence compared to group 2.
The bottom line
The authors concluded that fluorouracil was associated with better outcomes after surgery than standard adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with NSCLC.
The fine print
This study took place in Japan and therefore only included patients from one geographical location. The groups were not evenly age matched. Also, the side effects of both regimens are not well described.
Published By :
Cancer Medicine
Date :
Aug 27, 2018
