Introduction
colorectal cancer, death, neutropenia, CRC, cancer, deaths
CANCER, COLORECTAL CANCER, NEUTROPENIA
Globally, colorectal cancer (CRC) is ranked as the third most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related death, accounting for approximately 10% of all new cases of cancer and 10% of all deaths from cancer in 2020 [Trifluridine/tipiracil (FTD/TPI), an oral cytotoxic chemotherapy consisting of the thymidine analogue trifluridine and the thymidine phosphorylase inhibitor tipiracil hydrochloride, is registered in many countries worldwide for the management of patients with mCRC who have progressed on standard therapies. FTD/TPI is indicated as monotherapy for the treatment of adults with mCRC who have been previously treated with, or are not considered candidates for, available therapies (including fluoropyrimidine-, oxaliplatin- and irinotecan-based chemotherapies, anti-VEGF agents, and anti-EGFR agents) [In the pivotal RECOURSE study, FTD/TPI significantly improved overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) compared with placebo [Studies of the real-world use of FTD/TPI have suggested that carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) < 200, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) < 5 and the development of grade 3 neutropenia may predict a favourable efficacy of FTD/TPI [Further information is needed on factors that may influence the efficacy of FTD/TPI in mCRC, and therefore, the PRECONNECT study was initiated as an international, multicentre, open-label, phase IIIb trial, in which eligible adults with mCRC were provided access to FTD/TPI in clinical practice with the aim to further assess safety, clinical use, and quality of life (QoL) as measured by patient reported outcomes. PRECONNECT is the largest cohort of patients to date that have received FTD/TPI in clinical practice (