Background: Small-bowel adenocarcinoma (SBA) is a rare tumor that has a poor response to chemotherapy and a poor prognosis. Treatment strategies for SBA have not been clearly established.
Methods: All patients with SBA treated using a combination of cisplatin and irinotecan (IP) as first-line chemotherapy at the National Cancer Center Hospital in Japan between January 1999 and February 2007 were studied retrospectively.
Results: Eight patients received IP as first-line chemotherapy. The median follow-up was 9.5 months (range, 4.2-37.5 months). The median number of cycles of IP was three (range, 1-5). The overall response rate (complete or partial response) was 12.5% (complete response, n = 0; partial response, n = 1). The disease control rate (complete or partial response or stable disease) was 75%. The median time to treatment failure was 4.5 months (95% confidence interval, 0.9-5.8 months), and overall survival was 17.3 months (range, 1.9-21.3 months). The most common adverse events were neutropenia and anorexia.
Conclusion: IP combination chemotherapy may be an acceptable option for patients with SBA. Further studies are warranted to determine the optimal chemotherapeutic regimen for SBA.