PHASE-II STUDY OF ORAL-ADMINISTRATION OF ETOPOSIDE FOR PATIENTS WITH WELL-DIFFERENTIATED AND MODERATELY-DIFFERENTIATED ADENOCARCINOMAS OF UNKNOWN PRIMARY SITE
A. Vandergaast et al., PHASE-II STUDY OF ORAL-ADMINISTRATION OF ETOPOSIDE FOR PATIENTS WITH WELL-DIFFERENTIATED AND MODERATELY-DIFFERENTIATED ADENOCARCINOMAS OF UNKNOWN PRIMARY SITE, Annals of oncology, 4(9), 1993, pp. 789-790
Background: The prognosis of patients with well- and moderately-differ
entiated adenocarcinomas of unknown primary is poor, as a consequence
of chemotherapy resistance. Patients and methods: We performed a phase
II study with prolonged oral administration of etoposide in 25 chemot
herapy-naive patients with well and moderately-differentiated adenocar
cinomas of unknown primary site. The treatment regimen was 50 mg/m2 fo
r 21 days, every four weeks. Results: Of 24 evaluable patients, two ac
hieved partial responses (8%) lasting 15+ and 17 months, 11 patients h
ad stable disease, and 11 progressed during treatment. The major toxic
ity was myelosuppression. WHO grades 3 or 4 leukocytopenia was seen in
six patients but confined to the first treatment cycle in five of the
m. Four of these latter five patients already had disease progression
after one treatment cycle. A primary tumor site was later identified i
n four patients, three colon carcinomas and one carcinoma of the pancr
eas. Conclusion: Etoposide given in this dose and schedule has only li
mited activity in patients with well- or moderately-differentiated ade
nocarcinomas of unknown primary site.