A Phase II Study of Additional Four-Week Chemotherapy With Capecitabine During the Resting Periods After Six-Week Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy in Patients With Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer.
- Author:
Kyung Ha LEE
1
;
Min Sang SONG
;
Jun Boem PARK
;
Jin Soo KIM
;
Dae Young KANG
;
Ji Yeon KIM
Author Information
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords: Rectal neoplasms; Neoadjuvant therapy; Chemoradiotherapy; Capecitabine
- MeSH: Chemoradiotherapy*; Deoxycytidine; Drug Therapy*; Fluorouracil; Humans; Neoadjuvant Therapy; Pelvis; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Rectal Neoplasms*; Capecitabine
- From:Annals of Coloproctology 2013;29(5):192-197
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
- Abstract: PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and the safety of additional 4-week chemotherapy with capecitabine during the resting periods after a 6-week neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCRT) in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer. METHODS: Radiotherapy was delivered to the whole pelvis at a total dose of 50.4 Gy for 6 weeks. Oral capecitabine was administered at a dose of 825 mg/m2 twice daily for 10 weeks. Surgery was performed 2-4 weeks following the completion of chemotherapy. RESULTS: Between January 2010 and September 2011, 44 patients were enrolled. Forty-three patients underwent surgery, and 41 patients completed the scheduled treatment. Pathologic complete remission (pCR) was noted in 9 patients (20.9%). T down-staging and N down-staging were observed in 32 patients (74.4%) and 33 patients (76.7%), respectively. Grade 3 to 5 toxicity was noted in 5 patients (11.4%). The pCR rate was similar with the pCR rates obtained after conventional NCRT at our institute and at other institutes. CONCLUSION: This study showed that additional 4-week chemotherapy with capecitabine during the resting periods after 6-week NCRT was safe, but it was no more effective than conventional NCRT.
