Efficacy of prophylactic anti-diarrhoeal treatment in patients receiving Campto for advanced colorectal cancer

• Published in: Anticancer research Vol. 22; no. 6B; p. 3727
• Main Authors: Duffour, J, Gourgou, S, Seitz, J F, Senesse, P, Boutet, O, Castera, D, Kramar, A, Ychou, M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Greece 01.11.2002
• Subjects: Adenocarcinoma - complications; Adenocarcinoma - drug therapy; Adult; Aged; Anti-Infective Agents - therapeutic use; Anti-Ulcer Agents - therapeutic use; Antidiarrheals - therapeutic use; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic - adverse effects; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic - therapeutic use; Camptothecin - adverse effects; Camptothecin - analogs & derivatives; Camptothecin - therapeutic use; Colorectal Neoplasms - complications; Colorectal Neoplasms - drug therapy; Diarrhea - chemically induced; Diarrhea - drug therapy; Diarrhea - prevention & control; Gastrointestinal Agents - therapeutic use; Humans; Hydroxybenzoates - therapeutic use; Loperamide - therapeutic use; Middle Aged; Nitrofurans - therapeutic use; Silicates; Sucralfate - therapeutic use
• ISSN: 1791-7530

This study assessed the efficacy of combined prophylactic and curative anti-diarrhoeal medication in advanced colorectal patients treated by irinotecan. Thirty-four pre-treated eligible patients were evaluated. There were 44% women, the median age was 65 and 38% of the patients had a 0 performance status. The patients received sucralfate(4g/d) and nifuroxazide(600 mg/d) prophylactic treatment on days 0-7. In the case of severe diarrhoea, preventive treatment was replaced by loperamide(12 mg/d) and diosmectite (9 g/d). Grade 3 delayed diarrhoea occurred in 18% of patients (90% CI: [9.5-28.9]) and 4.6% of cycles. No grade 4 delayed diarrhoea was observed. Twenty-nine patients (85%) received the preventive treatment at cycle 1, while 14% (90% CI: [6.2-25.7]) experienced grade 3 delayed diarrhoea in 3.7% of cycles for a median 4.5 days. The objective response rate was 8% (90% CI [1.4-23.1]) among the 25 assessable patients. Preventive combined treatment is effective in reducing the incidence of severe delayed diarrhoea, and it should be proposed to patients treated with mono-therapy Campto(r) and evaluated in poly-chemotherapy protocols.