Preoperative Chemoradiation for Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer with Capecitabine 2,000 mg/m2/Day
Vutisiri Veerasarn MD*, Wiroon Boonnuch MD**, Vitoon Chinswangwatanakul MD**, Darin Lohsiriwat MD**, Pranee Mahamadsolaeh***
Affiliation : * Division of Radiation Oncology, Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok ** Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok *** Siriraj Cancer Center, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok
Objective : Evaluate the efficacy and the tolerability of preoperative chemoradiation with high dose
Capecitabine.
Material and Method: Fifteen patients with locally advanced resectable rectal cancer were treated with
Capecitabine 2,000 mg/m2/day, orally 7 days/week concurrent with whole pelvic irradiation 45 Gy in 25
fractions/5 weeks. Patients underwent surgery in the following 4-6 weeks.
Results : After complete treatment, 11 patients (73%) underwent surgery. Ten patients (66%) had sphincter
preservative surgery; three of them had primary tumors located in the lower rectum. Five patients had grade
2 and one patient had grade 3 diarrhea. No grade 4 toxicity was reported.
Conclusion : Preoperative Capecitabine 2,000 mg/m2/day concurrent with whole pelvic irradiation were
effective and well tolerated. The potential dose limiting toxicity effect was the diarrhea.
Keywords : Rectal cancer, Chemoradiation, Capecitabine, Radiotherapy
