Tsai-Shen Yang

Risk of transient hyperammonemic encephalopathy in cancer patients who received continuous infusion of 5-fluorouracil with the complication of dehydration and infection.

From 1986 to 1998, 29 cancer patients who had 32 episodes of transient hyperammonemic encephalopathy related to continuous infusion of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) were identified. None of the patients had decompensated liver disease. Onset of hyperammonemic encephalopathy varied from 0.5 to 5 days (mean: 2.6 +/- 1.3 days) after the initiation of chemotherapy. Plasma ammonium level ranged from 248 to 2387 microg% (mean: 626 +/- 431 microg%). Among the 32 episodes, 26 (81%) had various degrees of azotemia, 18 (56%) occurred during bacterial infections and 14 (44%) without infection occurred during periods of dehydration. Higher plasma ammonium levels and more rapid onset of hyperammonemia were seen in 18 patients with bacterial infections (p=0.003 and 0.0006, respectively) and in nine patients receiving high daily doses (2600 or 1800 mg/m2) of 5-FU (p=0.0001 and < 0.0001, respectively). In 25 out of 32 episodes (78%), plasma ammonium levels and mental status returned to normal within 2 days after adequate management. In conclusion, hyperammonemic encephalopathy can occur in patients receiving continuous infusion of 5-FU. Azotemia, body fluid insufficiency and bacterial infections were frequently found in these patients. It is therefore important to recognize this condition in patients receiving continuous infusion of 5-FU.

Efficacy and Safety of the FOLFOX4 Regimen Versus Doxorubicin in Chinese Patients With Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Subgroup Analysis of the EACH Study

BACKGROUND The EACH study assessed the efficacy of oxaliplatin, 5-fluorouracil, and leucovorin (the FOLFOX4 regimen) compared with doxorubicin alone in terms of overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and safety in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We present the results of this study in Chinese patients. METHODS In a multicenter, open-label, randomized, phase III study (NCT00471965), 371 patients (279 patients from the Peoples Republic of China) were randomized 1:1 to receive either FOLFOX4 or doxorubicin until disease progression, intolerable toxicity, death, or surgical resection. RESULTS Baseline characteristics of the Chinese patients enrolled in the study were similar for the 2 treatment groups and in comparison with the whole EACH cohort. Median OS at the prespecified time point of treatment was 5.7 months with FOLFOX4 and 4.3 months with doxorubicin (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.74; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.55-0.98; p = .03). At the end of the follow-up period, median OS was 5.9 months with FOLFOX4 and 4.3 months with doxorubicin (HR: 0.75; 95% CI: 0.58-0.98; p = .03). Median PFS was 2.4 months and 1.7 months in the FOLFOX4 and doxorubicin groups, respectively (HR: 0.55; 95% CI: 0.45-0.78; p = .0002). The response rate (RR) and disease control rate (DCR) were significantly higher in the FOLFOX4 group than in the doxorubicin group (RR: 8.6% vs. 1.4%, p = .006; DCR: 47.1% vs. 26.6%, p = .0004). Hematological toxicity was more frequently reported in the FOLFOX4 group. CONCLUSION For Chinese HCC patients enrolled in the EACH study, FOLFOX4 significantly improved the RR and DCR and prolonged survival compared with doxorubicin. Systemic chemotherapy with oxaliplatin-based regimens may play an important role in the treatment of Chinese patients with advanced HCC.

Chemotherapy using 5-fluorouracil, mitoxantrone, and cisplatin for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: an analysis of 63 cases

BackgroundWe evaluated the anti-tumor efficacy and toxicity of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), mitoxantrone, and cisplatin (FMP) in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and conducted an analysis of the prognostic factors for response to such therapy and patient survival.MethodsSixty-three patients suffering from unresectable and non-embolizable HCC and who had objectively measurable tumors, adequate liver and renal function, and adequate bone-marrow reserve were enrolled in this study. The therapeutic regimen consisted of cisplatin 80 mg/m2 and mitoxantrone 6 mg/m2 intravenously on day 1, and 5-FU 450 mg/m2 per day continuous infusion for a period of 5 days. Univariate and multivariate analyses of patient and disease characteristics were used to identify factors predicting patient response and survival.ResultsThe objective response was 23.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 13.0–34.6%). The median survival for all 63 patients was 4.9 months (95% CI, 3.2–6.6 months). The median time to progression was 2.5 months (95% CI, 1.7–3.3 months). Multivariate analysis identified only performance status (P = 0.050) and liver tumor size (P = 0.012) as being significantly related to patient objective response. Independent variables associated with a better patient survival included: the absence of ascites (P = 0.003), a lower total bilirubin level (P = 0.026), and the patient being a positive chemotherapy responder (P = 0.009).ConclusionsThe response rate to an FMP regimen was still unsatisfactory, although a specific subgroup of patients (good performance status, smaller liver tumor mass, good liver reserve, and distant metastasis) may benefit from this regimen.

Intra-arterial plus i.v. chemotherapy for advanced bulky squamous cell carcinoma of the buccal mucosa.

From July 1994 to December 1996, 41 patients with previously untreated, advanced bulky squamous cell carcinoma arising from the buccal mucosa (BSCC) were enrolled. All patients were males with a median age of 47 years (range 29-72). The tumor extent was stage III/IV: three of 38, T4: 85%, N2-3: 20%. Patients were initially scheduled to receive intra-arterial (i.a.) chemotherapy, followed by i.v. chemotherapy and regional therapy. The i.a. chemotherapy catheter was properly placed by external carotid artery angiography via the femoral artery. The i.a. chemotherapy consisted of cisplatin (P) 100 mg/m2 day 1 plus 5-fluorouracil (F) 1000 mg/m2 day 1-4, and the i.v. chemotherapy consisted of PF (10 patients) or PF plus methotrexate 200 mg/m2 day 15 and 22 (31 patients). All chemotherapy regimens were administered at 4-week intervals. The response rate of i.a. plus i.v. chemotherapy for the primary site was 85% (35 of 41) with 29% complete remission (CR) (12 of 41). The response and CR rates of neck nodes were 82% (14 of 17) and 41% (seven of 17), respectively. The combined overall response rate was 80% (33 of 41) with a 29% CR (12 of 41). Major toxicity from i.a. chemotherapy of WHO grade ⩾3 included: mucositis of infusion area (76%), hemialopecia (56%) and leukopenia (5%). Three neurologic complications of i.a. chemotherapy including one hemiparesis occurred. The median follow-up time was 47 months (range 36-66 months), and the overall survival and disease-free survival were both 34% (14 of 41). Four patients were cured with chemotherapy alone and eight patients (19.5%) were cured without surgical intervention. Using i.a. chemotherapy as a cytoreductive therapy followed by subsequent i.v. chemotherapy produces a high response rate and an encouraging degree of complete response rate in advanced bulky BSCC. However, toxicity management and catheter placement will need to be improved in order to better define the role of this therapy in advanced BSCC.

Weekly 24-h infusion of high-dose 5-flurouracil and leucovorin in patients with advanced gastric cancer.

The effect of biochemical modulation of weekly high-dose 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) 24 h infusion by leucovorin (LV) in the treatment of 39 consecutive patients with advanced gastric cancer without prior chemotherapy from October 1996 to August 1997 was examined. There were 21 male and 18 female patients with a median age of 56 years. The regimen consisted of 5-FU 2600 mg/m2 and LV 150 mg administered by 24 h infusion weekly for 6 weeks followed by a 2 week break. The treatment was repeated every 8 weeks until disease progression, patient refusal or unacceptable toxicity. Placement of a central vascular device and a portable external infusion pump was required in all patients and was used for outpatient treatment. The response to treatment was evaluated every 8 weeks. A total of 395 chemotherapy treatments were given with a mean of 10 (2-24). This response rate was: 33% (12 of 36) partial response (PR) rate, 33% (12 of 36) stable disease (SD) and 33% (12 of 36) progressive disease (PD). In general, the toxicity was mild but two toxic deaths occurred, one due to neutropenic sepsis and the other due to hyperammonemia. The median time to progression was 4 months. The overall median survival was 7 months. The survivals of the PR, SD and PD were 12, 8 and 5 months, respectively. This regimen showed a modest activity against gastric cancer with acceptable toxicity. Weekly 24 h infusion of high-dose 5-FU with LV in an outpatient setting for patients with gastric cancer is feasible and deserves further study as a basis for combination therapy.

Phase I dose escalation study of oxaliplatin combined with oral tegafur-uracil and leucovorin in patients with advanced gastric cancer.

Our aim was to determine the dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs), maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and recommended dose of oxaliplatin combined with oral tegafur–uracil and leucovorin. Twenty-eight chemo-naïve patients with advanced gastric cancer were enrolled. Oxaliplatin (55, 70, 85, 100 and 115 mg/m2) was given as a 2-h infusion on days 1 and 15. Oral tegafur–uracil (300 mg/m2 per day) and leucovorin (60 mg/day) were given 3 times a day from days 1 to 21 (28-day cycle). DLTs were defined as grade IV hematologic toxicity or grade III non-hematologic toxicity. The MTD for oxaliplatin was 100 mg/m2. The most common DLT was diarrhea. Major grade III/IV toxicities included vomiting, diarrhea, renal dysfunction, leukopenia and thrombocytopenia. There were two treatment-related deaths. Intent-to-treat response was graded as partial response in 13 patients (46.4%; 95% confidence interval 26.74–66.12%), stable disease in nine and disease progression in five. As of June 2004, 17 patients had died. The median time to treatment failure, time to progression and overall survival were 124, 308 and 434 days, respectively. The recommended dose for the phase II study is oxaliplatin 100 mg/m2 biweekly with oral tegafur–uracil (300 mg/m2 per day) and leucovorin (60 mg/day) 3 times a day for 21 days.