More serious toxicities (grade 3 or 4) occurring significantly more often in women were alopecia, anemia, diarrhea, leukopenia, nausea, neutropenia, and stomatitis, according to the report.
Treatment with FOLFIRI was associated with higher rates of toxicity overall, and numerically increased differences in incidence between women and men, the investigators said. They noted that incidence of grade 3 or 4 alopecia, diarrhea, lethargy, and stomatitis were all significantly higher among FOLFIRI-treated women.
This was the largest systematic analysis of sex-related differences in adverse effects related to standard fluorouracil with or without irinotecan, according to the researchers, who noted that a previous study had identified female sex as a risk factor for irinotecan-induced neutropenia.