Bi-weekly Capecitabine-Oxaliplatin (XELOX) plus Bevacizumab as First-line Treatment of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer -The PHOENiX Trial.

AIM: This phase II study assessed the efficacy and toxicity of an intermittent weekly capecitabine regimen in combination with oxaliplatin (XELOX) plus bevacizumab as a first-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with measurable mCRC who were to receive first-line chemotherapy were enrolled onto this disease-oriented multicenter phase II trial. Patients with mCRC were required to have Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 to 1, to be aged >20 years, and to have adequate organ function. Localization of tumor, toxicities, response rate, progression-free survival (PFS) and time to progression (TTP) were studied. Capecitabine dose was 2,500 mg/m(2)/day on days 1-7 (n=47) and was increased to 3,000 mg/m(2)/day (n=5) in combination with oxaliplatin (85 mg/m(2)) and bevacizumab (5 mg/kg), repeated every 2 weeks. RESULTS: A total of 51 patients were enrolled from 14 institutions from December 2011 to July 2012. The median age was 66 (range=38-85) years, 29 (56.9%) had colonic cancer and 22 (43.1%) had rectal cancer in this study. Pertinent grade 3/4 toxicities were neutropenia (13.7%), peripheral neuropathy (13.7%), hypertension (13.7%), gastrointestinal perforation (3.9%), and hand-foot syndrome (5.9%). The response rate was 51% (one complete and 25 partial responses). Median PFS and TTP were 344 days and 196 days, respectively. Median overall survival has not been reached yet. CONCLUSION: The first-line treatment of mCRC using a biweekly combination of XELOX plus bevacizumab can also be administered safely and effectively in Japan. It is suggested that this regimen is an appropriate option for the treatment of mCRC.