WEDNESDAY, Jan. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Oral capecitabine is at least as effective as infused fluorouracil, and oxaliplatin as effective as cisplatin when used in triplet cytotoxic regimens for the treatment of advanced esophageal or gastric cancer, according to research published in the Jan. 3 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
David Cunningham, M.D., of the Royal Marsden Hospital National Health Service Foundation Trust in Surrey and London, U.K., and colleagues assessed whether fluorouracil could be replaced by capecitabine, and cisplatin by oxaliplatin, in the treatment of esophagogastric cancer. The researchers randomized 1,002 chemotherapy-naive patients with advanced esophagogastric cancer to receive one of four regimens: epirubicin, cisplatin and fluorouracil (ECF); epirubicin, cisplatin and capecitabine (ECX); epirubicin, oxaliplatin and fluorouracil (EOF); or epirubicin, oxaliplatin and capecitabine (EOX).
Treatment response and progression-free survival did not differ significantly between groups. Median survival times were 9.9 months, 9.9 months, 9.3 months and 11.2 months in the ECF, ECX, EOF and EOX groups, respectively. Secondary analysis showed that overall survival was significantly longer in the EOX compared to ECF groups.
"This randomized, phase 3 study of triplet cytotoxic therapy for advanced esophagogastric cancer showed that oral capecitabine is at least as effective as infused fluorouracil and that oxaliplatin (which does not require hydration) is at least as effective as cisplatin (which does require hydration) with respect to overall survival," the authors conclude.
This study was partially funded by Hoffmann-La Roche and Sanofi-Aventis.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
