The combination of raltitrexed (Tomudex) and mitomycin-C in the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer - A phase II study

Abstract Aims To investigate the combination of raltitrexed and mitomycin-C as first-line chemotherapy treatment in patients with advanced colorectal cancer. Materials and methods A phase II study. Results In total, 22 patients were treated with a combination of raltitrexed 3mg/m 2 every 3 weeks and mitomycin-C 7mg/m 2 every 6 weeks for up to 24 weeks. The study was closed early for safety reasons as there were three unexpected treatment-related deaths. The overall response rate was 20%, and a further 40% achieved stable disease. The median time to progression was 3.9 months and the median overall survival time was 11.6 months. Conclusion Owing to the potential for increased toxicity, the combination of raltitrexed and mitomycin-C cannot be recommended as first-line treatment in patients with advanced colorectal cancer.