Grothey, A. et al. (2018) Duration of adjuvant chemotherapy for stage III colon cancer. New England Journal of Medicine, 378(13), pp. 1177-1188. (doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1713709) (PMID:29590544) (PMCID:PMC6426127)
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Abstract
BACKGROUND Since 2004, a regimen of 6 months of treatment with oxaliplatin plus a fluoropyrimidine has been standard adjuvant therapy in patients with stage III colon cancer. However, since oxaliplatin is associated with cumulative neurotoxicity, a shorter duration of therapy could spare toxic effects and health expenditures. METHODS We performed a prospective, preplanned, pooled analysis of six randomized, phase 3 trials that were conducted concurrently to evaluate the noninferiority of adjuvant therapy with either FOLFOX (fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin) or CAPOX (capecitabine and oxaliplatin) administered for 3 months, as compared with 6 months. The primary end point was the rate of disease-free survival at 3 years. Noninferiority of 3 months versus 6 months of therapy could be claimed if the upper limit of the two-sided 95% confidence interval of the hazard ratio did not exceed 1.12. RESULTS After 3263 events of disease recurrence or death had been reported in 12,834 patients, the noninferiority of 3 months of treatment versus 6 months was not confirmed in the overall study population (hazard ratio, 1.07; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.00 to 1.15). Noninferiority of the shorter regimen was seen for CAPOX (hazard ratio, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.85 to 1.06) but not for FOLFOX (hazard ratio, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.06 to 1.26). In an exploratory analysis of the combined regimens, among the patients with T1, T2, or T3 and N1 cancers, 3 months of therapy was noninferior to 6 months, with a 3-year rate of disease-free survival of 83.1% and 83.3%, respectively (hazard ratio, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.90 to 1.12). Among patients with cancers that were classified as T4, N2, or both, the disease-free survival rate for a 6-month duration of therapy was superior to that for a 3-month duration (64.4% vs. 62.7%) for the combined treatments (hazard ratio, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.03 to 1.23; P=0.01 for superiority). CONCLUSIONS Among patients with stage III colon cancer receiving adjuvant therapy with FOLFOX or CAPOX, noninferiority of 3 months of therapy, as compared with 6 months, was not confirmed in the overall population. However, in patients treated with CAPOX, 3 months of therapy was as effective as 6 months, particularly in the lower-risk subgroup. (Funded by the National Cancer Institute and others.)
| Item Type: | Articles |
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| Additional Information: | Comment: A New IDEA in Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Colon Cancer by Richard L. Schilsky, M.D. Published in New England Journal of Medicine 378:1242-1244. http://dx.doi.org/10.1056/NEJMe1800419 |
| Status: | Published |
| Refereed: | Yes |
| Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: | Paul, Mr James |
| Authors: | Grothey, A., Sobrero, A. F., Shields, A. F., Yoshino, T., Paul, J., Taieb, J., Souglakos, J., Shi, Q., Kerr, R., Labianca, R., Meyerhardt, J. A., Vernerey, D., Yamanaka, T., Boukovinas, I., Meyers, J. P., Renfro, L. A., Niedzwiecki, D., Watanabe, T., Torri, V., Saunders, M., Sargent, D. J., Andre, T., and Iveson, T. |
| College/School: | College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Cancer Sciences |
| Journal Name: | New England Journal of Medicine |
| Publisher: | Massachusetts Medical Society |
| ISSN: | 0028-4793 |
| ISSN (Online): | 1533-4406 |
| Copyright Holders: | Copyright © 2018 Massachusetts Medical Society |
| First Published: | First published in New England Journal of Medicine 378(13):1177-1188 |
| Publisher Policy: | Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher |
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