Toxicity during l-LV/5FU adjuvant chemotherapy as a modified RPMI regimen for patients with colorectal cancer

l-leucovorin (LV)/5-fluorouracil (5FU) may play an important role, as an adjuvant chemotherapy, in improving the survival of patients with stage III colorectal cancer. However, severe toxicity of the chemotherapeutic agent could be fatal. Adverse effects, including bone marrow suppression, liver damage, renal damage, and glucose tolerance, were evaluated daily during 3 courses of l-LV/5FU-modified RPMI regimen adjuvant chemotherapy for 22 patients with stage III colorectal cancer. Decrease in the serum levels of neutrophils and platelets occurred in the 1st course, which became more obvious after three or four administrations of l-LV/5FU in the 1st course. Furthermore, serum levels of leukocytes, neutrophils, and platelets on the re-start day of this chemotherapy after 2-week intervals were lower than those on the start day of this chemotherapy. In the evaluation of liver damage, renal damage, and glucose tolerance; serum alanine aminotransferase level in the 2nd course, serum total bilirubin (T.Bil) level in the 1st course, and serum creatinine level in the 1st course deteriorated during the course. T.Bil levels on the re-start day of this chemotherapy after 2-week intervals were especially high compared to that on the start day. The more courses of this chemotherapy we perform, the more attention we must pay to bone marrow suppression and hyperbilirubinemia. Thus, we clarified the attentive point of side effect of l-LV/5FU adjuvant chemotherapy for colorectal cancer.