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Rectal Cancer treatment details. Chemotherapy, Biologic therapy.

University of California-Los Angeles, Santa Monica, CA, United States.

Survival: monthsCountry:United States
Toxiciy Grade:5City/State/Province:Santa Monica, CA
Treatments:Chemotherapy, Biologic therapyHospital:University of California-Los Angeles
Drugs:Journal:Link
Date:Feb 2009

Description:

Patients: This phase 3 study involved 1,053 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. They ranged in age from 22 to 89 years of age.

Treatment: All patients were treated with chemotherapy (fluorouracil, leucovorin and either oxaliplatin or irinotecan) and the biological therapy bevacizumab. Some patients were also given the biological therapy panitumumab.

Toxicity: Seven patients (1%) died from causes thought to be related to panitumumab treatment. Five of those patients were in the group treated with oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy and two in the irinotecan-based chemotherapy group. The deaths were from pulmonary embolism, cardiac arrest, cancer progression, arrhythmia, intestinal perforation, and sepsis. The most common grade 4 toxicities were neutropenia and pulmonary embolism, which occurred in 11% of patients or less.

Results: For patients treated with oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy and bevacizumab, the median overall survival was 24.5 months for patients not given panitumumab and 19.4 months for those receiving panitumumab. In the groups treated with irinotecan-based chemotherapy and bevacizumab, the median overall survival 20.5 months for those not given panitumumab and 20.7 months for those also given panitumumab.

Support: This study was supported by Amgen, which markets panitumumab as Vectibix®.

Correspondence: Dr. J. Randolph Hecht





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