Eastern Canadian colorectal cancer consensus conference: application of new modalities of staging and treatment of gastrointestinal cancers

The annual Eastern Canadian Colorectal Cancer Consensus Conference was held in Ottawa, Ontario, October 22-23, 2010. Health care professionals involved in the care of patients with colorectal cancer participated in presentation and discussion sessions for the purpose of developing the recommendations presented here. This consensus statement addresses current issues in the management of colorectal cancer, such as the use of epidermal growth factor inhibitors in metastatic colon cancer, the benefit of calcium and magnesium with oxaliplatin chemotherapy, the role of microsatellites in treatment decisions for stage II colon cancer, the staging and treatment of rectal cancer, and the management of colorectal and metastatic pancreatic cancers.

Phase IV study of first-line bevacizumab plus irinotecan and infusional 5-FU/LV in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer: AVIRI

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Background: Bevacizumab (BEV) is a monoclonal antibody that inhibits tumour angiogenesis by targeting VEGF. In a phase III trial (AVF2107g), BEV significantly improved overall (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) when combined with first-line irinotecan plus bolus 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)/leucovorin (LV) (IFL) in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). A multicentre, open-label trial is being conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of first-line BEV in combination with irinotecan and infusional 5-FU (FOLFIRI), a widely used first-line chemotherapy (CT) regimen. Methods: Patients had to have: mCRC; no surgery within 28 days; no prior CT for metastatic disease; ECOG PS 0/1, adequate organ function; no CNS metastases. CT consisted of a minimum of six cycles of irinotecan plus infusional 5-FU/LV according to the classical FOLFIRI regimen; variations like the simplified FOLFIRI and the weekly regimen were also allowed. BEV 5mg/kg was given on day 1 with CT and then every 2 weeks until disease progression. Tumour assessments were performed every 3 months during the first 12 months and every 4 months thereafter. Safety was assessed at the time of CT administration and every 4 weeks thereafter. The primary objective was PFS; secondary objectives included safety, overall response rate, time to response, duration of response and OS. Results: A total of 209 patients were enrolled at 31 centres worldwide, between April and November 2005. An interim analysis showed that the safety profile of BEV plus FOLFIRI appeared to be similar to that reported for Avastin plus IFL. The 44% overall response rate and 90% disease control rate are at least equivalent to that reported in comparable trials. Additionally, the 6 months PFS estimate of 82% was superior to that reported in AVF2107. Mature PFS data will be presented. Conclusions: AVIRI is the largest clinical trial, to date, to report data for BEV in combination with FOLFIRI in first-line patients with mCRC. The safety profile appears consistent with that observed in other BEV trials in mCRC, while the preliminary efficacy data suggest that this regimen is as active as the bolus regimen.

No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Predictive value of staging investigations in patients with clinical stage I malignant melanoma

We reviewed the charts of 393 consecutive patients referred to the Toronto-Bayview Regional Cancer Centre and the Ontario Cancer Institute between January 1, 1978, and December 31, 1982, with clinical stage I malignant melanoma to determine the predictive value of routine staging investigations. The investigations reviewed included physical examination, liver function tests, radionuclide liver-spleen and bone scans, chest x-ray, whole-lung tomograms, CT chest scans, CT brain scans, and bipedal lymphangiograms. The clinical stage of nine patients was changed, eight as a result of physical examination and one as a result of lymphangiogram. No other investigations detected metastatic melanoma at referral. We recommend that staging investigations for patients referred with clinical stage I malignant melanoma be restricted to a complete physical examination and a baseline chest x-ray for all patients.