Background: Colorectal cancer is the third most common malignant disease and the second leading cause of death worldwide. Previous studies showed improved bioavailability and cytotoxicity of ginsenoside-modified nanostructured lipid carrier containing curcumin (G-NLC) in human colon cancer cell lines. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and tolerability with long-term survival rates in patients with colorectal cancer with unresectable metastases after treatment with first-line bevacizumab/FOLFIRI (folinic acid, bolus/continuous fluorouracil, and irinotecan) in combination with a dietary supplement of G-NLC.
Methods: This study was a prospective, observational, single-group analysis. The enrolled patients had colorectal cancer with unresectable metastases and were administered bevacizumab and FOLFIRI in combination with daily oral G-NLC as first-line treatment. Overall survival, progression-free survival, tumor response, and adverse events were evaluated.
Results: A total of 44 patients were enrolled between 2015 and 2019. The median age was 65 (range 45-81) years and the sex ratio was 31:13 (male:female). The primary tumor locations were the colon (31 patients) and rectum (13 patients). The metastatic sites included, liver only (n = 20), lung only (n = 6), both liver and lung (n = 12), and others (n = 6). The median duration of curcumin supply was 7.9 (range 0.9-16.6) months. The most common grade 3 or higher adverse events were neutropenia (n = 15, 34.1%), followed by nausea (n = 4, 9.1%) and vomiting (n = 4, 9.1%). Within the median follow-up period of 22.8 months, the median overall survival was 30.7 months, and the median progression-free survival was 12.8 months. None of the patients achieved complete response (CR); however, 9 patients showed partial response (PR), and 3 patients underwent conversion surgery.
Conclusions: Bevacizumab/FOLFIRI with G-NLC as first-line chemotherapy in patients with colorectal cancer with unresectable metastases presented comparable long-term survival outcomes with acceptable toxicity outcomes. Additional randomized controlled studies are needed to establish definitive conclusions regarding this new regimen for metastatic colorectal cancer.
Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02439385.
Keywords: adverse event; chemotherapy; curcumin; metastatic colorectal cancer; survival.