Bevacizumab +oral 5-fluorourasil versus intensive chemotherapy for the treatment of elderly patients with metastatic colorectal cancer

Abstract

Aim: This study compared the efficacy and safety of Bmab+oral 5-Fluorourasil (Bmab+o-5-FU) including Bmab+Capecitabine (Cape) with that of intensive chemotherapy including L-OHP or CPT-11 for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Methods: Between January 2006 and February 2017, 40 elderly ( ≥ 70 years) chemotherapy-naïve patients with mCRC (male/ female=22/18; median age, 76.0 years) were retrospectively reviewed. The treatment regimens were Bmab+o-5-FU (n=19) and intensive regimens (n=21). Intensive regimens comprised 17 L-OHP and 4 CPT-11 doublet chemotherapies. Results: The median progression-free survival (PFS) with Bmab+o-5-FU and intensive regimens was 281 and 215 days, respectively. The median survival time with Bmab+o-5-FU and intensive regimens was 961 and 1,002 days, respectively. No significant differences were observed in the overall survival or PFS between Bmab+o-5-FU and the other regimens. The disease control rate was 94.7% with Bmab+o-5-FU and 81.0% with intensive regimens. The rate of grade ≥3 hematological adverse events was 5.3% for Bmab+o-5-FU and 15.8% for intensive regimens. Conclusions: With its similar survival benefit to intensive regimens, high disease control rate and good feasibility, Bmab+o5-FU seems a fine treatment choice for elderly mCRC patients.