Patient compliance to oral anticancer chemotherapy evaluated in breast and colorectal cancer patients receiving capecitabine: The OCTO study.

Abstract

e13594 Background: Given the expanding use of oral chemotherapies, optimal compliance to treatment is critical to achieve the best clinical outcome in terms of efficacy and safety. The aim of the OCTO clinical study was to measure patient compliance, either electronically or by self-assessment, to capecitabine-based treatment. Methods: A cohort of patients with either locally advanced or metastatic, breast or colorectal, cancer were monitored for 6 cycles, and ambulatory treated with monotherapy of capecitabine (Xeloda). Treatment was prescribed at 1250 mg/m² as a combination of 500 and 150 mg pills, taken twice daily for 14 days every 3-week cycle. Tumor response was evaluated after 3 and 6 cycles using the RECIST criteria. Toxicity was evaluated using the NCI CTC scale. Compliance was assessed in all patients by self-completed questionnaires on disease, treatment and ambulatory management of side effects; and in half of the cohort by electronic medication event monitoring systems (MEMS) recording the opening times of the pill bottle. Results: Forty patients were enrolled between November 2008 and September 2011 and treated by capecitabine for an average of 4.75 cycles (range: 1-6). 63% patients completed 6 cycles, 22% and 15% patients discontinued due to respectively disease progression and adverse events. Best tumor response was evaluable in 35 patients: 23% had partial response, 54% stable disease and 23% progressed. Hand-foot syndrome was the most reported toxicity (77% patients), and to a lesser extent diarrhea (45%), nausea (30%) and vomiting (30%). In the MEMS cohort, 20 patients were included. Patient compliance was excellent with very few missing occasions (23/2272 records). Timing of morning doses was less variable (p=0.03) than timing of evening ones. Thirty-eight questionnaires were returned. Autonomy of ambulatory oral treatment was appreciated by 54% patients, while resulting in anxiety in 6%. Only 39% patients were concerned by the potential impact of non-compliance while 45% declined answering the question. Conclusions: Compliance to oral anticancer chemotherapy was found excellent in this population, with few deviations from prescription.