313 Background: The recently published Phase III trial of 5-FU, leucovorin, irinotecan, and oxaliplatin (FOLFIRINOX) demonstrated improved survival compared to gemcitabine in good performance status (PS) patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer (Conroy et al, NEJM 2011). Less is known about the efficacy and tolerability with FOLFIRINOX in the non-clinical trial setting. In this retrospective analysis, we report our institutional experience with FOLFIRINOX. Methods: 29 patients with locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer treated with FOLFIRINOX between July 2010 and April 2011 were used for this analysis. Clinical characteristics, and gradeable toxicities were tabulated, and formal radiographic review performed to determine best overall response rates (ORR). Results: 17 patients received FOLFIRINOX for metastatic disease and 12 patients for locally advanced disease. The median age of patients was 60 (range 39-76). 22/29 patients were men. 18/29 patients had received no prior chemotherapy. There was one patient with PS 2; all others had PS 0 or 1. 8/29 patients had biliary stents. Overall, 11 partial responses (PR) were observed (ORR 38%); 10/11 partial responses were in chemo-naïve patients, who had an ORR of 56%. In the metastatic setting, there were 6 PR, for an ORR of 35%, and 7 patients with stable disease (SD). In the locally advanced setting, there were 5 PR (ORR 42%), and 7 patients with SD. Following treatment with FOLFIRINOX, one patient with locally advanced disease has subsequently undergone R0 resection. The median number of cycles performed was 8 in both the locally advanced and metastatic settings. 12/29 patients required an ED visit or hospitalization during treatment. Grade 3/4 neutropenia was observed in 10 patients; 7/10 had not received prophylactic growth factor treatment from the start of FOLFIRINOX. 4 patients developed febrile neutropenia, 4 patients developed grade 3/4 thrombocytopenia, and 1 patient developed grade 4 anemia. Conclusions: In a non-clinical trial setting, FOLFIRINOX demonstrated activity in both the metastatic and locally-advanced settings. FOLFIRINOX appears to be associated with manageable, but significant toxicities, with over 40% of patients requiring hospitalization.
Implementing a standard-of-care clinic for stroke prevention in children with sickle cell disease in Nigeria: a feasible strategy outside a clinical trial setting