EXPERIENCE WITH A THERAPY FREE PROGRESSION INTERVAL IN METASTATIC COLORECTAL-CANCER

A therapy free progression interval was studied in a total of 254 pati ents with metastatic colorectal cancer and measurable disease in three consecutive chemotherapy trials. The chemotherapy consisted either of 5-FU alone (CRCS1) or a combination of 5-FU with Leucovorin (CRCS1, C RCS2) or 5-FU/Leucovorin/Interferon-alpha (CRCS3). The start of chemot herapy in asymptomatic patients was depending on an increase in size o f at least 25 % in one known metastatic lesion, new metastases or onse t of tumor related clinical symptoms. The median time to progression i n all 3 studies was between 2.0-3.8 months and a wide range from 0.7-2 8.8 months. The corresponding median survival from the start of chemot herapy ranged from 7.0 months for single agent 5-FU, 15.0 and 15.1 mon ths for 5-FU/Leucovorin and 18.3 months for the combination with 5FU-L eucovorin/Interferon. The therapy free progression interval does not s eem to affect negatively the median survival from the start of chemoth erapy but can be added to the overall survival since diagnosis of meta stasis. The described method can be useful for a disease oriented mana gement in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.