ABSTRACT
Purpose:To study the effectiveness and toxicity of venorelbine combined with fluorouracil/leucovorin in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma(NPC) refractory to platinum based chemotherapy.Methods:The chemotherapy regimen consisted of bimonthly intravenous infusion of venorelbine 25 mg/m 2 plus 2-hour infusion of leucovorin 200 mg/m 2 followed by 48-hour infusion of 5-FU 3.0 g/m 2 using an ambulatory pump. Results:Among 30 patients entered into the study,1 patient achieved complete response,15 patients achieved partial response with an overall response rate of 53.3% and 10 had stable disease with clinical benefit rate of 86.7% respectively. 4 patients had disease progression. Median time to progression was 7 months(range:2.0-20.0 months) and the 1-year survival rate was 51%. The main toxicities were diarrhea and myelotoxicity.Conclusions:The results indicate that venorelbine combined with fluorouracil/leucovorin in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma refractory to platinum based chemotherapy has moderate activity but comparatively mild toxicity.