Roche’s oral cancer drug effective over intravenous chemotherapy

This treatment also results in fewer days spent in hospital to manage adverse events when compared to intravenous therapy.

The report is published in Annals of Oncology, which includes a recent study comparing first-line Xeloda (capecitabine) versus the well-known chemotherapy combination of cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and 5-FU (CMF). Women receiving capecitabine lived significantly longer than those receiving this traditional intravenous (IV) chemotherapy regimen. Further information on this trial presented recently showed that as well as extending the life expectancy of these women, their quality of life was better with capecitabine than with traditional IV CMF.

Unlike traditional chemotherapies, capecitabine targets the cancer cells directly, with less impact on healthy cells. Capecitabine has an unusual safety profile, characterized by gastrointestinal toxicities and hand-foot syndrome, but has a particularly low incidence of hair loss or decreased production of blood cells and platelets. However, there is growing consensus that oral therapies should only replace IV alternatives when they have demonstrated at least equivalent efficacy and that tolerability is not compromised.