[Effect of withdrawal of 5-fluorouracil bolus administration on recovery from neutropenia in colorectal cancer patients treated with mFOLFOX6 chemotherapy-comparison with total dosage reduction].

A combination of oxaliplatin(L-OHP), folinic acid and 5-fluorouracil(5-FU)(mFOLFOX6)has been widely administered to treat advanced or recurrent colorectal cancer. In this regimen, a bolus of 5-FU is administered intravenously, followed by its 46-hr continuous intravenous infusion. For 12 patients who showed neutropenia during mFOLFOX6 chemotherapy at Itami City Hospital, we investigated neutrophil recovery by comparing a patient group treated by the withdrawal of the 5-FU bolus administration(n=6)with a patient group treated by total dose reduction of L-OHP, as well as both the bolus and continuous 5-FU administration(n=6). After two weeks, the neutrophil numbers in the bolus withdrawal group showed a relatively higher value than that in the total dose reduction group[p= 0.032]. For patients showing neutropenia related to mFOLFOX6 chemotherapy, withdrawal of 5-FU bolus administration is suggested to be an effective method of promoting the recovery of neutrophil numbers.