A Phase III Randomized Study of 5-Fluorouracil, Mitomycin-C, and Radiotherapy Versus 5-Fluorouracil, Cisplatin, and Radiotherapy in Carcinoma of the Anal Canal

OBJECTIVES:

• Compare the initial and total local and distant failure rates in patients with anal canal cancer treated with either fluorouracil (5-FU) plus mitomycin concurrently with radiotherapy or 5-FU plus cisplatin followed by 5-FU plus cisplatin concurrently with radiotherapy.
• Identify any differences in local control and colostomy rates at 2 years in patients treated with these regimens.
• Determine any difference in colostomy free, disease free, or overall survival in patients treated with these regimens.
• Compare the toxic effects of these regimens in these patients.
• Evaluate the prognostic effects of tumor markers P53 overexpression, human papilloma virus status, and enzyme HAP1 in patients treated with these regimens.

OUTLINE: This is a randomized study. Patients are stratified according to gender, nodal status (positive vs negative), and primary tumor size (greater than 2 cm to 5 cm vs greater than 5 cm). Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 treatment arms.

• Arm I: Patients receive fluorouracil (5-FU) IV continuously over 96 hours beginning on days 1 and 29 and mitomycin IV on days 1 and 29 with concurrent radiotherapy.
• Arm II: Patients receive induction chemotherapy comprising 5-FU IV continuously over 96 hours beginning on days 1, 29, 57, and 85 and cisplatin IV over 1 hour on days 1, 29, 57, and 85. Beginning on day 57, patients receive concurrent radiotherapy.

In both arms, radiotherapy is administered daily, 5 days a week, for 5-6.5 weeks. Patients with T3, T4, or N+ lesions or T2 lesions with residual disease receive additional radiotherapy to a reduced field.