Comparing Methotrexate and Leucovorin with 5-Fluorouracil in Colon Cancer Treatment
Author Information
Author(s): Sobrero A, Frassineti G, Falcone A, Dogliotti L, Rosso R, Costanzo F D, Bruzzi P
Primary Institution: Oncologia Medica Ospedale S Martino, Genova, Italy
Hypothesis
Does modulation of 5-fluorouracil by methotrexate improve survival compared to 5-fluorouracil plus leucovorin in colon cancer patients?
Conclusion
The study found that both treatment regimens produced similar survival outcomes in patients with stage II and III colon cancer.
Supporting Evidence
- Survival rates were similar for both treatment groups at 5 years.
- Both treatment regimens had comparable toxicity profiles.
- Patients were followed for a median of 4.2 years.
Takeaway
Doctors wanted to see if a new way of giving medicine would help people with colon cancer live longer, but it turned out both ways worked the same.
Methodology
Patients were randomly assigned to receive either 6 monthly cycles of FU with LV or sequential MTX followed by FU and LV.
Potential Biases
The study design may have biases due to the lack of blinding and the potential for protocol violations.
Limitations
Some patient and tumor characteristics data were missing, which could affect the results.
Participant Demographics
The median age was 62 years, with 58.4% male and 41.6% female participants.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.90
Confidence Interval
0.8–1.12 for relapse; 0.83–1.23 for overall mortality
Statistical Significance
p=0.90
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Want to read the original?
Access the complete publication on the publisher's website