Multicenter Phase III Open Label Randomized Trial Comparing CPT-11 In Combination With A 5-FU/FA Infusional Regimen To The Same 5-FU/FA Infusional Regimen Alone As Adjuvant Treatment Of Stage III Colon Cancer

OBJECTIVES:

• Compare the disease-free survival at 3 years of patients with resected stage III colorectal cancer treated with adjuvant fluorouracil and leucovorin calcium with or without irinotecan.
• Compare the disease-free and overall survival at 5 years of patients treated with these regimens.
• Compare the safety profiles of these treatment regimens in these patients.
• Compare the quality-adjusted survival of patients treated with these regimens.
• Correlate the expression of putative prognostic markers (thymidylate synthase, telomerase, topoisomerase) with disease-free and overall survival of patients treated with these regimens.

OUTLINE: This is a randomized, open-label, multicenter study. Patients are stratified according to participating center. Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 treatment arms.

Arm I

• Patients receive irinotecan IV over 30-90 minutes, leucovorin calcium IV over 2 hours, and fluorouracil IV over 24 hours weekly for 6 weeks. Courses repeat every 7 weeks for up to 4 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.
• As an alternative schedule, patients may receive irinotecan IV over 30-90 minutes and day 1 and leucovorin calcium IV over 2 hours and fluorouracil IV over 22 hours on days 1 and 2 every 2 weeks for 6 weeks. Treatment repeats every 6 weeks for up to 4 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.