Skip to main content
PMC home page
British Journal of Cancer logoLink to British Journal of Cancer
. 1994 Sep;70(3):559–563. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1994.345

The relationship between an objective response to chemotherapy and survival in advanced colorectal cancer.

W Graf 1, L Påhlman 1, R Bergström 1, B Glimelius 1
PMCID: PMC2033339  PMID: 8080747

Abstract

This analysis was conducted to evaluate the independent relationship between survival and response to chemotherapy in advanced colorectal cancer. In order to correct for the guarantee time effect, patients dying before the response evaluation were excluded from the analyses. A previously constructed prognostic model containing 11 variables was applied to 324 patients. When the response categories were analysed together with the prognostic variables, it was found that a response was associated with a definite survival advantage (P < 0.001), whereas the influence of all the other variables decreased. The corrected survival advantage (relative progressive disease) was 11 months after a complete response, 6 months after a partial response and 4 months after stable disease. The survival advantage was of a similar magnitude when the analyses were repeated in an independent population comprising 198 patients in whom the prognostic model was extended to include also a set of laboratory values. The results show that a response to chemotherapy is associated with a longer survival also after correction for the guarantee time effect and the distribution of prognostic variables.

Full text

PDF

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. A'Hern R. P., Ebbs S. R., Baum M. B. Does chemotherapy improve survival in advanced breast cancer? A statistical overview. Br J Cancer. 1988 Jun;57(6):615–618. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1988.140. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Anderson J. R., Cain K. C., Gelber R. D. Analysis of survival by tumor response. J Clin Oncol. 1983 Nov;1(11):710–719. doi: 10.1200/JCO.1983.1.11.710. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Carlsson G., Graf W., Gustavsson B. G., Glimelius B., Påhlman L., Spears P. C. Sequential 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin in patients with advanced symptomatic gastrointestinal cancer. Eur J Cancer. 1990;26(8):874–876. doi: 10.1016/0277-5379(90)90188-y. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Glimelius B., Ginman C., Graffman S., Påhlman L., Ståhle E. Sequential methotrexate--5-FU--leucovorin (MFL) in advanced colorectal cancer. Eur J Cancer Clin Oncol. 1986 Mar;22(3):295–300. doi: 10.1016/0277-5379(86)90394-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Glimelius B., Hoffman K., Graf W., Påhlman L., Sjödén P. O. Quality of life during chemotherapy in patients with symptomatic advanced colorectal cancer. The Nordic Gastrointestinal Tumor Adjuvant Therapy Group. Cancer. 1994 Feb 1;73(3):556–562. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19940201)73:3<556::aid-cncr2820730310>3.0.co;2-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Glimelius B., Hoffman K., Olafsdottir M., Påhlman L., Sjödén P. O., Wennberg A. Quality of life during cytostatic therapy for advanced symptomatic colorectal carcinoma: a randomized comparison of two regimens. Eur J Cancer Clin Oncol. 1989 May;25(5):829–835. doi: 10.1016/0277-5379(89)90128-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Graf W., Glimelius B., Påhlman L., Bergström R. Determinants of prognosis in advanced colorectal cancer. Eur J Cancer. 1991;27(9):1119–1123. doi: 10.1016/0277-5379(91)90307-y. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Hayward J. L., Carbone P. P., Heusen J. C., Kumaoka S., Segaloff A., Rubens R. D. Assessment of response to therapy in advanced breast cancer. Br J Cancer. 1977 Mar;35(3):292–298. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1977.42. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Köhne-Wömpner C. H., Schmoll H. J., Harstrick A., Rustum Y. M. Chemotherapeutic strategies in metastatic colorectal cancer: an overview of current clinical trials. Semin Oncol. 1992 Apr;19(2 Suppl 3):105–125. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Lavin P., Mittelman A., Douglass H., Jr, Engstrom P., Klaassen D. Survival and response to chemotherapy for advanced colorectal adenocarcinoma: an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group report. Cancer. 1980 Oct 1;46(7):1536–1543. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19801001)46:7<1536::aid-cncr2820460707>3.0.co;2-k. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Miller A. B., Hoogstraten B., Staquet M., Winkler A. Reporting results of cancer treatment. Cancer. 1981 Jan 1;47(1):207–214. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19810101)47:1<207::aid-cncr2820470134>3.0.co;2-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Moertel C. G. Clinical management of advanced gastrointestinal cancer. Cancer. 1975 Aug;36(2):675–682. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(197508)36:2+<675::aid-cncr2820360810>3.0.co;2-a. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Paterson A. H., Cyr M., Szafran O., Lees A. W., Hanson J. Response to treatment and its influence on survival in metastatic breast cancer. Am J Clin Oncol. 1985 Aug;8(4):283–292. doi: 10.1097/00000421-198508000-00002. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Scheithauer W., Rosen H., Kornek G. V., Sebesta C., Depisch D. Randomised comparison of combination chemotherapy plus supportive care with supportive care alone in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. BMJ. 1993 Mar 20;306(6880):752–755. doi: 10.1136/bmj.306.6880.752. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Journal of Cancer are provided here courtesy of Cancer Research UK

RESOURCES