Treatment Information

Back

Rectal Cancer treatment details. Chemotherapy, Biologic therapy.

Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center (USC), Los Angeles, CA, United States.

Survival: monthsCountry:United States
Toxiciy Grade:4City/State/Province:Los Angeles, CA
Treatments:Chemotherapy, Biologic therapyHospital:Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center (USC)
Drugs:Journal:Link
Date:May 2008

Description:

Patients: This phase II study involved 102 patients with advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer. These patients ranged in age from 31 to 83 years of age; the median age was 60.5 years. The majority of patients had previously been treated with the chemotherapy drugs irinotecan, fluorouracil, or both.

Treatment: Patients were treated with either irinotecan and bortezomib, or bortezomib alone. Irinotecan is a chemotherapy drug, and bortezomib is a biological therapy.

Toxicity: Grade 3 and 4 toxicities in patients treated with bortezomib alone included fatigue, vomiting, nausea, and peripheral sensory neuropathy. In patients treated with bortezomib and irinotecan, grade 3 and 4 diarrhea, fatigue, neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, dyspnea, abdominal pain, dehydration, and anemia were reported.

Results: The median overall survival of patients treated with bortezomib alone was 7.8 months, and for those treated with bortezomib plus irinotecan it was 5.5 months.

Support: This study was supported by Millennium Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development. These companies developed bortezomib.

Correspondence: Dr. Heinz-Josef Lenz



Back