[A retrospective study of irinotecan plus fluorouracil and l-leucovorin chemotherapy for advanced and metastatic colorectal cancer].
We have treated 14 advanced and metastatic colorectal cancers with irinotecan (CPT-11) plus fluorouracil (5-FU) and l-leucovorin (l-LV) combination chemotherapy. The 14 patients consisted of 8 males and 6 females with a mean age of 65 years. We diagnosed adenocarcinoma of the colon in 10 patients and of the rectum in 4 patients. Four patients had liver metastases, five had lung metastases, and one had both, while one had lung and lymph node metastases, two had lymph node metastases and one had a local recurrence. The chemotherapy consisted of CPT-11 100 mg/m(2) div, as a 150-minute infusion, simultaneously l-LV 10 mg/m(2) div, as a 30-minute infusion, followed by 5-FU 500 mg/m(2) iv, as a bolus injection. This treatment was administered weekly for 2 weeks followed by a 2-week rest period and repeated every 4 weeks. All patients received this regimen as first-line chemotherapy. All patients were evaluated for efficacy 1 CR, 2 PR, 9 SD, and 2 PD. The overall response rate was 21.4% with a median time to progression of 8.1 months and a median survival time of 18.6 months. Grade 3 nausea, diarrhea and the suppression of white blood cells were seen in 3 patients, respectively. All other adverse reactions were mild (grade 1 or 2). Except for one patient,residual patients were able to receive the systemic chemotherapy on schedule. CPT-11/5-FU/l-LV combination chemotherapy appears to be effective first-line chemotherapy for advanced and metastatic colorectal cancer.