Study: Oral Chemotherapy Preferred for Treating Colon Cancer

Oral chemotherapy for the treatment of colon cancer will replace intravenous chemotherapy because of patient preference and the potential for substantial cost savings, according to Dr. Chris Twelves of the Beatson Oncology Center at the Western Infirmary in Glasgow, Scotland.

Twelves presented data from a 59-center study at the third European Conference: Perspectives in Colorectal Cancer, showing that time spent in the hospital was cut by two thirds and costly medication for side effects was cut by more than 50 percent when patients were treated with oral capecitabine (Xeloda) instead of intervenous 5-fluorouracil plus leucovorin, the current standard treatment.

Researchers compared 297 patients being given capecitabine with 299 receiving the 5-FU treatment regimen and found that total hospital stays were 2,477 days compared with 8,102 days. The number of days that patients needed medication to treat side effects was 910 for the group given capecitabine and 2,070 for the 5-FU group.

"The costs of giving intravenous treatment are substantial," said Twelves. "There are major potential savings in time and equipment, not to mention the time and inconvenience for the patient. I think we will see a major change over the coming years towards more use of oral chemotherapy."

Other sources: 3rd European Conference: Perspectives in Colorectal Cancer, Reuters