Adjuvant chemotherapy in stage II–III operated colon cancer patients from a nontrial cohort in a low colon cancer prevalence country with predominant use of modified CAPOX

BACKGROUND: Data regarding the practice of adjuvant chemotherapy, specifically with modified CAPOX, and survival outcomes in operated colon cancer patients from a nontrial cohort in a lower-middle income and low prevalence nation like India is scarce. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients who underwent upfront curative resection for colon cancer from January 2013 to December 2016 were analyzed for baseline variables and outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 491 patients underwent curative resection in the predefined time period. The median age of the patients was 53 years (range: 17–87). Patients with Stage I, Stage II, and Stage III disease comprised 7.9%, 44.8%, and 45.4% of the entire cohort, respectively. Patients with Stage I cancer were observed. Adjuvant chemotherapy was planned for 384 patients (78.2%), with the doublet regimens (capecitabine-oxaliplatin, or 5-fluorouracil-oxaliplatin) being used commonly (77.6%). Common toxicities were Hand-foot syndrome (Grade 2/3 - 21.4%) and peripheral neuropathy (Grade 2/3 - 20.1%). About 85% of patients receiving monotherapy (capecitabine or 5 fluorouracil) and 81.2% of patients receiving doublet chemotherapy (mCAPOX or modified FOLFOX-7) completed their planned adjuvant treatment. With a median follow-up of 22 months, estimated 3 years event-free survival was 86%, and overall survival (OS) was 93.6%. Stage, younger age (<50 years), underlying cardiovascular abnormalities, need for dose reductions and noncompletion of planned chemotherapy predicted for inferior estimated 3-year OS on multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Adjuvant chemotherapy especially with modified CAPOX appears well tolerated in the Indian population and early survival outcomes appear to be comparable to published literature.