Efficacy of FOLFOX4 in patients with hypoalbuminemia or immune impairment

Abstract

e15141 Background: The effects of chemotherapeutic agents are understood to be regulated by many factors including tumor factors such as sensitivity to drugs and host factors. Among these host factors, nutritional conditions and immune function of cancer-bearing host has been told to relate the effects of chemotherapy, however, it has not been clarified yet. Methods: We have analysed the relationships between the effects of FOLFOX4 and nutritional markers such as serum albumin concentrations and immunology markers including counts of lymphocytes and neutrophils, the ratios of these counts G/L: granulocytes/lymphocytes) and serum concentrations of immunosuppressive acidic protein (IAP) in the patients with disseminated colorectal cancer who have received FOLFOX4. All these blood examinations were performed before the first administration of FOLFOX4 as a first line chemotherapy in 18 patients with disseminated colorectal cancer. Results: Firstly serum albumin levels have shown significant correlation to lymphocyte counts and did inverse correlation to neutrophil counts and G/L ratios. The albumin levels in the patients with PD of FOLFOX outcome was significantly lower than in the patients with PR(p<0.05) and SD (p<0.05). The lymphocytes counts in the patients with PD were significantly lower than in those with PR (p<0.05) and SD (p<0.05). Neutrophil counts, on the other hand, was significantly higher in the patients with PD than in those with PR (p<0.01) and SD (p<0.05). IAP, have been recognized as a marker of immune-suppression in patients with cancer was higher in the patients with PD. Conclusions: Thus the nutritional status is closely related to the immune status in patients with cancer, and the markers of these conditions may present important informations in prediction of results of cancer chemotherapy. No significant financial relationships to disclose.