cancerpage.comarticle.aspOpen ↗ Rofecoxib No Aid to Chemotherapy in Metastatic
Colorectal Cancer
By David Douglas
NEW YORK Jul 30, 2003 (Reuters Health) - Addition of the cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 inhibitor rofecoxib
to chemotherapy in patients with metastatic colon cancer increases toxicity without improving
efficacy, researchers report in the 20th of July issue of the International Journal of Cancer.
Nevertheless, lead investigator Dr. Carlos R. Becerra told Reuters Health that "COX-2 inhibitors
hold great promise in the treatment of patients with metastatic solid malignancies such as colon and
lung cancer."
"Currently clinical studies are ongoing or have been completed exploring the use of COX-2 inhibitors
either as single agents or in association with chemotherapy for these and other malignancies."
In particular, Dr. Becerra of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, and
colleagues conducted a phase II study of supplementary rofecoxib therapy in 10 patients with
metastatic colorectal cancer. All tumors exhibited "moderate" COX-2 overexpression.
The subjects were treated with 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin along with rofecoxib at doses of up to
50 mg daily.
Among side effects were gastrointestinal bleeding in 4 patients, stomatitis in 3, diarrhea in 2
and thrombocytopenia in another. Furthermore, there were no partial or complete responses in any
of the subjects.
Thus, "unfortunately," Dr. Becerra concluded, "the results did not meet our expectations and the
study had to be terminated early secondary to increased toxicity and lack of efficacy of the
regimen studied."
SOURCE:
International Journal of Cancer 2003;105:868-872.