Purpose: Adjuvant FOLFOX therapy is an established standard-of-care for resected colon cancer. Peripheral sensory neuropathy (PSN) is regarded as the major toxicity issue related to FOLFOX therapy. There have been a few reports on the recovery status from PSN thereafter. JOIN trial investigated the tolerability and efficacy of adjuvant modified FOLFOX6 (mFOLFOX6) in Japanese patients with stage II/III colon cancer.
Methods: Twelve cycles of mFOLFOX6 were given to patients with stage II/III curatively resected colon cancer. Treatment outcomes, including disease-free survival (DFS), relapse-free survival (RFS), overall survival (OS), and recovery status of PSN during 3-year follow-up, were investigated.
Results: Of the 882 patients enrolled from 2010 to 2012, 864 were eligible for the efficacy analyses. Three-year DFS, RFS, and OS were favorable in 92.1, 92.8, and 97.4% of stage II patients; 76.4, 77.9, and 93.8% of stage IIIA/B; and 61.6, 62.7, and 85.9% of stage IIIC, respectively. The cumulative incidence of PSN during treatment was 47.8% in grade 1 (G1), 30.3% in G2, and 5.8% in G3. For those with G3 PSN during treatment, there was gradual recovery in 1.1% of patients at 12 months after enrollment, 0.5% at 24 months, and 0.2% at 36 months. However, G1 or G2 residual PSN after 3 years was observed in 21.0% (18.7%, G1; 2.3%, G2).
Conclusions: Adjuvant mFOLFOX6 therapy was effective and well tolerated in patients with stage II/III colon cancer. Most patients recovered from G3 PSN related to oxaliplatin, but approximately 20% of patients had G1 or G2 PSN at 3-year follow-up.
Keywords: Colon cancer; Efficacy; Long-term peripheral sensory neuropathy; Modified FOLFOX6; Oxaliplatin.