Researchers at the University of Ulsan College of Medicine in South Korea reported that treatment with the FOLFOX chemotherapy regimen in rectal cancer patients improved 3-year disease-free survival over a standard chemotherapy of 5-FU/leucovorin.

The ADORE study comprised 321 patients with stage II or III rectal cancer who had had their tumors resected (surgically removed). Patients were randomly assigned to chemotherapy with the FOLFOX regimen (Leucovorin/Fluorouracil/Oxaliplatin) or the 5-FU/leucovorin. The median follow-up time in the study was 38.2 months.

The FOLFOX group’s 3-year disease-free survival rate was 71.6%; the corresponding rate for the 5-FU/leucovorin group was 62.9%.

The incidence of severe or potentially life threatening adverse events (grade 3/4) was comparable in both treatment arms.

Reference:

Hong Y, Nam B-H, Kim K-P, et al. Adjuvant chemotherapy with oxaliplatin/5-fluorouracil/leucovorin (FOLFOX) versus 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin (FL) for rectal cancer patients whose postoperative yp stage 2 or 3 after preoperative chemoradiotherapy: Updated results of 3-year disease-free survival from a randomized phase II study (The ADORE). J Clin Oncol 32:5s, 2014 (suppl; abstr 3502).

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