WEEKLY LOW-DOSE EPIRUBICIN IN ELDERLY CANCER-PATIENTS

Aims and background: The treatment of elderly patients with metastatic solid tumours is still a debated problem. Patients over 75 years are generally excluded from combination chemotherapy trials because, of hi gher toxicity. Several clinical studies have shown that weekly low dos e epirubicin is a well tolerated and effective treatment for elderly c ancer patients (breast, prostate, lung). Methods: We report a study of patients aged between 75 and 85 years affected by metastatic anthracy clines-sensible carcinomas, to assess the tolerance of epirubicin give n weekly at a dose of 25 mg/m(2). Results: 25 patients (13 males, 12 f emales; ECOG P.S. 0-2) entered the study and were evaluable for side e ffects, One-hundred and ninety-six cycles of therapy have been adminis tered. Side effects were never severe. Mucositis (9 patients), leucope nia (7 patients), anemia (5 patients) were usually of grade 1 or 2, Gr ade 1 cardiotoxicity (tachycardia) was observed in only one case. Grad e 3 toxicity consisted in anemia (1 patient) and mucositis (1 patient) , while grade 4 toxicity never occurred. Nineteen patients were evalua ble for response: 0 CR, 4 PR (1 lung, 3 breast), 8 SD (3 lung, 3 breas t, 2 prostate) have been observed. Compliance was encouraging and the majority of patients showed a decrease in symptoms and an improvement in performance status. Conclusions: Weekly low-dose epirubicin is a ve ry well tolerated treatment in elderly cancer patients. In view of the negligible toxicity encountered, it could be of utility to test this regimen in patients aged 75 years or older, affected by anthracyclines -sensible metastatic tumors, also to assess activity.