thioguanine-anhydrous and Diarrhea

In order to redefine the effectiveness of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) as palliative therapy in patients with metastatic colorectal carcinoma, and to compare the effectiveness of 6-thioguanine (6-TG) with that of 5-FU, we studied 176 patients with metastatic colorectal carcinoma in a randomized prospective trial (SEG 79G1268 ). The pretreatment performance status of all patients was greater than 50% (ambulatory), and there was an equal distribution of patients with favorable pretreatment characteristics into each of the treatment regimens. Complete responses were only seen to 5-FU, but were obtained in only 3% of instances. The overall complete plus partial response rates were not different for 5-FU (8%) versus 6-TG (3%), or for patients who had shown prior progression on chemotherapy and who then received 6-TG in a nonrandomized fashion (7%). The time to tumor progression on each of the treatment programs was similar, 1.0 months. Survival was also similar in each regimen in the randomized study (6.3 months for 5-FU versus 7.9 months for 6-TG). However, survival was only 4.8 months for patients with previously drug-resistant tumors treated with 6-TG in the nonrandomized arm. In 16 patients failing 6-TG who then received 5-FU, there were no objective responses. Similarly, in patients failing 5-FU on this study who then received 6-TG, there were no responses in nine patients. Dose-limiting toxicity was observed in 40% to 51% of patients, and consisted of myelosuppression, vomiting, or diarrhea. It is concluded that 5-FU is a minimally effective agent in a very small number of patients with metastatic colorectal carcinoma. The drug 6-TG is equally ineffective in this setting. Alternative treatment programs to the systemic use of 5-FU should be considered in patients requiring palliative chemotherapy.

Topics: Adenocarcinoma; Bone Marrow; Clinical Trials as Topic; Colonic Neoplasms; Diarrhea; Female; Fluorouracil; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Prospective Studies; Random Allocation; Rectal Neoplasms; Thioguanine; Vomiting

The efficiency and toxicity of treatment regimens for nonintensive cytoreduction in 57 outpatients with refractory acute leukemia (mean age 56 years, 51 AML, six ALL/AUL) were retrospectively studied. Seventeen patients received one treatment regimen, 19 patients two treatment regimens, and 21 patients three or more treatment regimens. The treatment regimens analyzed were 6-thioguanine p.o. (daily) (T), 6-thioguanine p.o. (4-7 days/week) + cytarabine s.c./i.v. (once a week) (T+C), 6-mercaptopurine p.o. (daily) (MP), 6-mercaptopurine p.o. (daily) + methotrexate p.o./i.v. (once a week) (MP+MTX), etoposide p.o. (daily) (E), and mitoxantrone i.v. (M). The median leukocyte count was higher for M (73 x 10(9)/l) than for the other treatment regimens (T: 27 x 10(9)/l, T+ C: 37 x 10(9)/l, MP: 24 x 10(9)/l, MP + MTX: 30 x 10(9)/l, E: 31 x 10(9)/l). A cytoreduction >50% in the peripheral blood was achieved by T in 11/19, by T+C in 7/11, by MP in 5/8, by MP+MTX in 3/6, by E in 3/4, and by M in 16/22 patients. The period of cytoreduction was regarded as the duration of response - T: median 53 days, range 5-98; T+C: median 61 days, range 14-226; MP: median 37 days, range 4-192; MP + MTX: median 58 days, range 36-59; E: median 121 days, range 26-159; M: median 39 days, range 8-78. T and T + C were well tolerated by all but three patients (stomatitis, diarrhea, WHO grade 2). MP was accompanied by a rise of transaminases (WHO 1-3) in 5/6 patients. E led to stomatitis (WHO 1,2) in 4/5 and M to nausea/vomiting (WHO 1,2) in 5/22 and to stomatitis (WHO 2) in 4/22 cases. The mean survival time after start of palliative cytoreduction was 16 weeks (2-65). In summary, 6-thioguanine +/- cytarabine was best tolerated with effective but in oral monotherapy - often protracted cytoreduction in 60% of patients. Mitoxantrone showed tolerable side effects and potent cytoreduction in 73% of patients even after ineffective palliative pretreatment. Palliative cytoreductive therapy does not reduce the quality of life and can prevent complications of significant leukocytosis in refractory acute leukemia.

Topics: Acute Disease; Administration, Oral; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Cytarabine; Diarrhea; Female; Humans; Injections, Intravenous; Injections, Subcutaneous; Leukemia; Leukocyte Count; Male; Mercaptopurine; Methotrexate; Middle Aged; Nausea; Palliative Care; Retrospective Studies; Stomatitis; Thioguanine

Topics: Adenocarcinoma; Alopecia; Antineoplastic Agents; Azaserine; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell; Diarrhea; Drug Eruptions; Drug Therapy; Geriatrics; Guanine; Leukopenia; Nausea; Neoplasms; Stomatitis; Thioguanine; Thrombocytopenia; Toxicology