When Avastin is added to the combination of Xeloda and irinotecan as an initial treatment for advanced colorectal cancer, the treatment is equally effective as Avastin with FOLFIRI.
But side effects are more difficult.
After a randomized clinical trial comparing Avastin with XELIRI (Xeloda, irinotecan) to Avastin with FOLFIRI (5-FU, leucovorin, irinotecan), researchers concluded that excessive side effects made using the XELIRI combination unwise. Read the rest of this entry »
Developing tender swelling or rash on their hands and feet may actually be good news for patients being treated with Xeloda® (capecitabine).
During a recent clinical trial, colorectal cancer patients with hand-foot syndrome lived longer, and it took longer for their cancer to get worse.
Researchers comparing two Xeloda-based chemotherapies for people with advanced colorectal cancer, studied skin side effects from both Xeloda and Erbitux® (cetuximab). They found that about a third of patients experienced at least some hand-foot syndrome, and these patients lived almost 10 months longer than patients without skin changes. Read the rest of this entry »
It doesn’t hurt to stop XELOX chemotherapy combined with Avastin after six treatments and continue with Avastin alone until colorectal cancer gets worse, according to a study reported at the 2010 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago.
Many patients have to stop oxaliplatin chemotherapy with before getting its maximum effectiveness because of peripheral neuropathy — tingling, numbness, or pain in their hands and feet. Xeloda® (capecitabine) can cause painful skin redness and cracking on the hands and feet or hand-foot syndrome, which can also affect time on chemotherapy.
Giving only six treatments of Avastin® (bevacizumab) plus XELOX chemotherapy and then stopping XELOX and using only Avastin until cancer progressed was as effective for the initial or first-line treatment of colorectal cancer as continuing XELOX. XELOX combines Xeloda® (capecitabine) with oxaliplatin.
In addition, the strategy reduced both severe peripheral neuropathy and hand-foot syndrome.
Colon cancer patients over 70 actually had a greater reduction in disease-free survival than did younger ones with a new regimen of Xeloda® and oxaliplatin compared to older IV 5-FU treatments according to a new analysis reported at the GI Cancers Symposium in Orlando.
With the bolus IV 5-FU and leucovorin regimens, stage III colon cancer patients over 70 had about a 60 percent chance of being alive and free from cancer three years after surgery. With a combination of Xeloda (capecitabine) and oxaliplatin in a treatment called XELOX, their three-year disease-free survival was 66 percent.
Younger patients had about a 3 percent absolute improvement between the two treatments from 69 percent to 72 percent. Read the rest of this entry »
I wanted to share with you another novel clinical trial using a compound targeting two receptors on tumor cells. Both receptors we know very well: one is HER2, the target for Herceptin, and the other one is EGFR, the target for Erbitux.
One compound targeting both receptors is on the market known as Tykerb® (lapatinib) which is approved for breast cancer patients in combination with Xeloda® (capecitabine). Read the rest of this entry »
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