Chemotherapy with mitomycin C and capecitabine in patients with advanced colorectal cancer pretreated with irinotecan and oxaliplatin

AIMS AND BACKGROUND: To assess the activity and tolerability of the combination of mitomycin C and capecitabine in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer after failure of irinotecan and oxaliplatin-containing regimens. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 28 patients with pretreated advanced colorectal cancer who had been treated with mitomycin C, 6 mg/m2 on day 1, and capecitabine, 1900 mg/m2 on days 1-14, every 3 weeks. Tumor assessment was performed every 3 cycles, toxicity assessed at each cycle. RESULTS: Main patient characteristics were median age, 61 years (range, 35-73); male/female ratio, 16/12; single metastatic site involvement, 5/28 (18%); > or =3 metastatic sites, 10/28 (36%). Ninety-six courses of therapy were given (median number, 3; range, 1-9). Twenty-six patients were assessable for response, and all were assessable for toxicity. There was 1 partial response (4%) and 12 had stable disease (43%). Median time to progression was 2 months (range, 1-9) and median overall survival was 6 months (range, 1-29+), with a 1-year overall survival rate of 25%. The regimen was very well tolerated without significant hematological toxicity. CONCLUSIONS: Our results are disappointing. Despite the good safety profile, they do not support further investigation or the routine use of this regimen in this setting.