The role of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy following curative resection for gastric cancer: a meta-analysis

Current role for cytoreduction and HIPEC for gastric cancer with peritoneal disease

Gastric cancer (GC) is an aggressive malignancy with a high burden of peritoneal disease. Evidence regarding the use of cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) to improve outcomes has been growing. However, given multiple limitations, there remains a lack of international consensus regarding the optimal treatment paradigm. This review article discusses the burden of peritoneal disease in GC patients and the role of CRS + HIPEC in all treatment intents—curative, prophylactic, and palliative.

Roles of Nrf2 in Gastric Cancer: Targeting for Therapeutic Strategies

Nuclear Factor Erythroid 2-Related Factor 2 (Nrf2) is a specific transcription factor with potent effects on the regulation of antioxidant gene expression that modulates cell hemostasis under various conditions in tissues. However, the effects of Nrf2 on gastric cancer (GC) are not fully elucidated and understood. Evidence suggests that uncontrolled Nrf2 expression and activation has been observed more frequently in malignant tumors, including GC cells, which is then associated with increased antioxidant capacity, chemoresistance, and poor clinical prognosis. Moreover, Nrf2 inhibitors and the associated modulation of tumor cell redox balance have shown that Nrf2 also has beneficial effects on the therapy of various cancers, including GC. Based on previous findings on the important role of Nrf2 in GC therapy, it is of great interest to scientists in basic and clinical tumor research that Nrf2 can be active as both an oncogene and a tumor suppressor depending on different background situations.

Maintenance Chemotherapy with S-1 Following SOX Regimen Chemotherapy Improves Prognosis of Stage 3 Gastric Cancer After D2 Gastrectomy: A 5-Year Analysis

Objective

To assess the effectiveness and safety of treatment consisting of maintenance chemotherapy (MCT) with S-1 following S-1 plus oxaliplatin (SOX) chemotherapy for stage 3 gastric cancer (GC) after D2 gastrectomy.

Methods

In this retrospective study, we enrolled 255 patients with stage 3 GC who underwent D2 gastrectomy between February 2011 and May 2014. The SOX regimen chemotherapy was administrated to all of the patients as adjuvant therapy. The SOX regimen consisted of S-1 (for patients with a body surface area [BSA] of less than 1.25 m², 80 mg/d; 100 mg/d for BSA=1.25 m²- <1.5 m², and 120 mg/d for BSA≥1.5 m², in 2 divided doses for 14 d) and oxaliplatin (130 mg/m² given on Day 1), repeated every 21 d for 8 cycles. Following SOX chemotherapy, 122 of these patients received maintenance chemotherapy (the MCT group) with S-1, whereas 133 patients (the control group) received no MCT. The MCT consisted of S-1 (80, 100, or 120 mg daily based on BSA, in 2 divided doses for 14 d), repeated every 21 d for 8 cycles at most. The chemotherapy was discontinued if unacceptable toxicity or disease progression occurred or upon the request of the patient. All cases were followed up, and overall survival (OS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), and toxicities were compared.

Results

The MCT group exhibited a distinctly higher 5-year OS (P=0.0425) and RFS (P=0.0479) than those of the control group. The incidence of hand-foot syndrome was markedly greater in the MCT group (P=0.0026). No toxicity-related death occurred.

Conclusion

Maintenance chemotherapy with S-1 following the SOX regimen chemotherapy provides significant survival benefit for stage 3 GC after D2 gastrectomy.

The Prognostic Significance of Compliance with Postoperative Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Patients with Stage III Gastric Cancer: an Observational Study

Purpose

Postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy is usually prescribed to improve the survival of patients with advanced gastric cancer who undergo curative surgery. This study was designed to determine the impact that the degree of compliance with chemotherapy has on the prognosis of patients with gastric cancer.

Materials and Methods

Among 252 patients with stage III gastric cancer who underwent curative surgery between July 2004 and December 2014, 85 patients were postoperatively treated with S-1, the oral fluoropyrimidine derivative, 23 received no chemotherapy, and 144 received other regimens. Overall survival was compared between the complete compliance group (who received 8 cycles of S-1 chemotherapy, n=44) and the incomplete compliance group (who received less than 8 cycles of S-1 chemotherapy, n=41). Factors that influenced patient compliance with chemotherapy were also analyzed.

Results

The overall 5-year survival rate was significantly different between the complete chemotherapy and incomplete chemotherapy groups (80.0% vs. 42.7%, P<0.001). Based on univariate and multivariate survival analyses of patients who received S-1 chemotherapy, the independent prognostic factors were tumor, node, and metastasis (TNM) stage (IIIa vs. IIIb vs. IIIc) and compliance with chemotherapy. TNM stage and age are significant factors that influence compliance with chemotherapy.

Conclusions

TNM stage and compliance with chemotherapy are independent prognostic factors in patients with stage III gastric cancer who received postoperative chemotherapy. TNM stage and age are significant factors that influence patient compliance with chemotherapy.

Comparison of efficacy in adjuvant chemotherapy regimens in patients with radically resected gastric cancer : a propensity-matched analysis

Background

We conducted the retrospective study to compare the efficacy of monotherapies versus two-drug regimens as postoperative chemotherapy for patients with radically resected gastric cancer.

Result

At a median follow-up of 5.3 years, no significant difference in terms of OS was observed between two groups, neither before nor after matching. After matching, median DFS was statistically significant between group A and B (median, 67.5 vs 101.0 months, respectively; hazard ratio [HR], 0.65; 95% CI, 0.45 to 0.95; P=0.027), which meant doublets prolonged DFS. In subgroup analysis, the patients of stage III receiving doublet achieved better OS than those receiving monotherapy. People who received doublet and were less than 65 years old, or male patients, or in T4 stage, or in N2 stage, or receiving subtotal gastrectomy had better DFS than those with monotherapy.

Method

A data set including 501 patients (monotherapy, n=107; doublet, n=394) was matched between the two groups (n=107 patients per group) using the propensity-matched study. The primary and secondary endpoint was overall survival(OS) and disease-free survival(DFS), respectively. Survival data was compared using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportion hazards models for univariate and multivariate analyses.

Conclusion

The dual regimens seemed not to add overall survival benefits to patients receiving curative gastrectomy, compared with single-agent fluoropyrimidine as postoperative chemotherapy. However, dual regimens showed better disease-free survival.

Adjuvant therapy for gastric cancer

Gastric cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in China. Since the rate of early diagnosis is low, postoperative recurrence and metastasis rates are still high. In recent years, the curative effect of postoperative adjuvant therapy is becoming better with the development of new chemotherapy drugs, targeted drugs, biological immune therapy and postoperative rehabilitation. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the progress in postoperative adjuvant therapy for gastric carcinoma.

Photodynamic therapy using nanoparticle loaded with indocyanine green for experimental peritoneal dissemination of gastric cancer

Although there have been multiple advances in the development of novel anticancer agents and operative procedures, prognosis of patients with advanced gastric cancer remains poor, especially in patients with peritoneal metastasis. In this study, we established nanoparticles loaded with indocyanine green (ICG) derivatives: ICG loaded lactosomes (ICGm) and investigated the diagnostic and therapeutic value of photodynamic therapy (PDT) using ICGm for experimental peritoneal dissemination of gastric cancer. Experimental peritoneal disseminated xenografts of human gastric cancer were established in nude mice. Three weeks after intraperitoneal injection of the cancer cells, either ICGm (ICGm-treated mice) or ICG solution (ICG-treated mice) was injected through the tail vein. Forty-eight hours after injection of the photosensitizer, in vivo and ex vivo imaging was carried out. For PDT, 48 h after injection of the photosensitizer, other mice were irradiated through the abdominal wall, and the body weight and survival rate were monitored. In vivo imaging revealed that peritoneal tumors were visualized through the abdominal wall in ICGm-treated mice, whereas only non-specific fluorescence was observed in ICG-treated mice. The PDT reduced the total weight of the disseminated nodules and significantly improved weight loss and survival rate in ICGm-treated mice. In conclusion, ICGm can be used as a novel diagnostic and therapeutic nanodevice in peritoneal dissemination of gastric cancer.

Adjuvant chemotherapy for gastric cancer: Current evidence and future challenges

Gastric cancer still represents one of the major causes of cancer mortality worldwide. Patients survival is mainly related to stage, with a high proportion of patients with metastatic disease at presentation. Thus, the cure rate largely depend upon surgical resection. Despite the additional, albeit small, benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy has been clearly demonstrated, no general consensus has been reached on the best treatment option. Moreover, the narrow therapeutic index of adjuvant chemotherapy (i.e., limited survival benefit with considerable toxicity) requires a careful assessment of expected risks and benefits for individual patients. Treatment choices vary widely based on the different geographic areas, with chemotherapy alone more often preferred in Europe or Asia and chemoradiotherapy in the United States. In the present review we discuss the current evidence and future challenges regarding adjuvant chemotherapy in curatively resected gastric cancer with particular emphasis on the recently completed landmark studies and meta-analyses. The most recent patient-level meta-analysis demonstrated the benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy over curative surgery; the same Authors also showed that disease-free survival may be used as a surrogate end-point for overall survival. We finally discuss future research issues such as the need of economic evaluations, development of prognostic or predictive biomarkers, and the unmet clinical need of trials comparing perioperative chemotherapy with adjuvant treatment.

Perioperative chemotherapy in locally advanced gastric cancer

Gastric cancer is one of the most common cancers and a main cause of cancer-related death worldwide, since the majority of patients suffering of this malignancy are usually faced with a poor prognosis due to diagnosis at later stages. In order to improve treatment outcomes, the association of surgery with chemo and/or radiotherapy (multimodal therapy) has become the standard treatment for locally advanced stages. However, despite several treatment options currently available for management of these tumors, perioperative chemotherapy has been mainly accepted for the comprehensive therapeutic strategy including an appropriated D2-gastrectomy. This manuscript presents a (nonsystematic) critical review about the use of perioperative chemotherapy, with a special focus on the drugs delivery.

Treatment of gastric cancer

The authors focused on the current surgical treatment of resectable gastric cancer, and significance of peri- and post-operative chemo or chemoradiation. Gastric cancer is the 4^th most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Surgery remains the only curative therapy, while perioperative and adjuvant chemotherapy, as well as chemoradiation, can improve outcome of resectable gastric cancer with extended lymph node dissection. More than half of radically resected gastric cancer patients relapse locally or with distant metastases, or receive the diagnosis of gastric cancer when tumor is disseminated; therefore, median survival rarely exceeds 12 mo, and 5-years survival is less than 10%. Cisplatin and fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy, with addition of trastuzumab in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 positive patients, is the widely used treatment in stage IV patients fit for chemotherapy. Recent evidence supports the use of second-line chemotherapy after progression in patients with good performance status

Chemotherapy for patients with gastric cancer after complete resection: A network meta-analysis

AIM: To conduct a network meta-analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of different chemotherapy regimens for patients with gastric cancer.

METHODS: PubMed (1966-2011.12), the Cochrane Library (2011 Issue 2) and EMBASE (1974-2011.12) were searched with the terms “gastric cancer” and “chemotherapy”, as well as the medical subject headings. References from relevant articles and conferences were also included. Patients who had previous gastric surgery, radiation before or after surgery or chemotherapy before surgery were excluded. In this study, only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were considered, and the end-point was the overall mortality. Direct comparisons were performed using traditional meta-analysis whereas indirect comparisons were performed using network meta-analysis.

RESULTS: In total, 31 RCTs with 7120 patients were included. Five chemotherapy regimens, fluorouracil (FU) + BCNU, FU + methyl-CCNU (mCCNU), FU + cisplatin, FU + anthracyclines and FU + mitomycin c (MMC) + cytarabine (Ara-c), were found to be less beneficial in terms of overall mortality. In contrast, four chemotherapy regimens were effective for the patients after surgery, including FU + MMC + adriamycin (FMA), FU + MMC (FM), Tegafur and MMC, There was no significant difference in terms of overall mortality among these regimens. The evidence for the FM regimen and MMC regimen was poor. Additionally, the FMA regimen, which includes a variety of chemotherapy drugs and causes many side effects, was not better than the Tegafur regimen.

CONCLUSION: Although the four chemotherapy regimens were effective in patients with gastric cancer after surgery and the overall mortality revealed no significant difference among them in the network meta-analysis, thorough analysis of the results recommends Tegafur as the first-line adjuvant chemotherapy regimen for patients after complete resection.

Adjuvant chemotherapy for elderly patients with gastric cancer after D2 gastrectomy

BACKGROUND

A phase III clinical trial has already shown the survival benefits of postoperative chemotherapy in gastric cancer. However, there are limited published data concerning the elderly. This study aims to investigate the use of adjuvant chemotherapy for gastric cancer after D2 gastrectomy among the elderly and identify its impact on survival.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed 360 patients who had undergone D2 gastrectomy, aged 65 years or older, with non-metastatic gastric cancer in a single institution. We analyzed the predictors and survival benefits of adjuvant chemotherapy use in the elderly. Further, we analyzed the survival benefits of adjuvant chemotherapy by dividing the patients into groups according to disease stages and chemotherapeutic regimens.

RESULTS

Among the 360 patients, only 34.7% of patients received adjuvant chemotherapy. Age, tumor location, lymph node involvement and tumor invasion were associated with the receipt of adjuvant chemotherapy. Adjuvant chemotherapy improved the overall survival for non-metastatic elderly patients (HR 0.60, 95%CI 0.42-0.83, P = 0.003). Significant survival benefits were found with adjuvant chemotherapy in stage III patients (HR 0.67, 95%CI 0.47-0.97, P = 0.033), but not in stage I patients or in stage II patients (HR 0.52, 95%CI 0.21-1.30 P = 0.161). Compared to adjuvant chemotherapy without platinum, no significant survival benefits were observed with platinum-containing chemotherapy (HR 0.84, 95%CI 0.49-1.45, P = 0.530). Besides adjuvant chemotherapy, other independent prognostic factors of survival included tumor location, tumor size, histologic grade, depth of tumor invasion, and lymph node status.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrated the survival benefits of adjuvant fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy among the elderly patients with non-metastatic gastric cancer after D2 gastrectomy. However, due to the limitations of this study, further well-designed prospective studies with large populations are needed to confirm these findings and identify the patients that can tolerate and benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy.

Neoadjuvant or adjuvant therapy for resectable gastric cancer: a systematic review and practice guideline for North America

BACKGROUND

Gastric cancer is a global health problem accounting for 10% of all new cancer cases and 12% of all cancer deaths worldwide. Many clinical trials and meta-analyses have explored the value of neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation therapy in gastric cancer; however, these studies have produced conflicting results. The purpose of this guidance document was to determine whether patients with resectable gastric cancer should receive neoadjuvant or adjuvant therapy in addition to surgery. Outcomes of interest were overall survival, disease-free survival, and adverse events.

METHODS

A systematic review was undertaken to inform recommendations regarding neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapy in resectable gastric cancer in Ontario, Canada. MEDLINE and EMBASE databases, as well as American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting proceedings and American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) proceedings were systematically searched from 2002 to 2010. Oral fluoropyrimidine trials were excluded owing to the unavailability of these agents in North America.

RESULTS

Overall, 22 randomized controlled trials (RCTs), 13 meta-analyses, and two secondary analyses were included. The systematic review informed the development of a clinical practice guideline with the following recommendations. Postoperative 5-fluorouracil-based chemoradiotherapy based on the Macdonald approach or perioperative ECF (epirubicin, cisplatin, fluorouracil) chemotherapy based on the Cunningham/MAGIC (Medical Research Council Adjuvant Gastric Infusional Chemotherapy) approach are both acceptable standards of care in North America. Choice of treatment should be made on a case-by-case basis. Adjuvant chemotherapy is a reasonable option for those patients for whom the Macdonald and MAGIC protocols are contraindicated. All patients with resectable gastric cancer should undergo a pretreatment multidisciplinary assessment to determine the best plan of care.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall survival in patients with resectable gastric cancer is significantly improved with the use of either postoperative chemoradiation (Macdonald approach) or perioperative ECF (MAGIC protocol).

Efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery when considered over all cancer types: a synthesis of meta-analyses

BACKGROUND

Despite a large number of clinical trials having been conducted to assess the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery for various cancers, whether it is best to use this treatment remains a generally contentious issue for many common cancers. The purpose of this study was to ascertain whether any general conclusions can be drawn about the efficacy or inefficacy of this treatment within different cancer classifications.

METHODS

Meta-analyses of randomized, controlled trials (RCTs) of adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery were synthesized over as many types of cancer as possible. Data sources were Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane library. Eligible meta-analyses were meta-analyses of RCTs for any type of cancer that compared surgery followed by adjuvant chemotherapy with surgery followed by no adjuvant chemotherapy.

RESULTS

The literature search found 25 meta-analyses for 15 cancer types that satisfied the criteria necessary for detailed analysis within this study. The estimates of relative risk for all cause mortality were reported as being less than one (indicating adjuvant chemotherapy is beneficial) by all meta-analyses apart from a meta-analysis for colorectal cancer metastasized to the liver. Moreover, 15 of these meta-analyses also reported that the 95% confidence interval for this relative risk is less than one (indicating statistical significance at the 5% level).

CONCLUSIONS

The results for all cancer types included in this study except for cancer metastasized to the liver can be thought of as supporting each other through the idea of there being a common treatment effect or at least a common range of effect across all (or most) of these cancer types. For example, with regard to cancer types where the evidence in favor of adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery is only moderately strong, the results of this study may encourage more clinicians to regard the use of this treatment as standard practice.

Update of adjuvant chemotherapy for resected gastric cancer

Gastric cancer is the second cause of cancer that is related to death and the fourth most common cancer, worldwide. Complete resection of cancer is the only curative treatment for gastric cancer. However, even if complete resection is possible, recurrence is frequently observed in Gastric patients. Therefore, adjuvant treatment modality for resectable gastric cancer is needed to increase the survival of patients. This study wants to describe the role of adjuvant chemotherapy for resectable gastric cancer, with updated data of recent studies. Several meta-analysis studies demonstrated a benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy for resectable gastric cancer. Due to the heterogeneity of the population and regimens, there is no consensus regarding the adjuvant chemotherapy. Recently published, well designed phase III studies demonstrated the statistically significance of adjuvant chemotherapy for the resectable gastric cancer, with the extended lymph node dissection. Further phase III trials, to determine the best regimen and schedule of adjuvant chemotherapy, was suggested to use the fluoropyrimidine based regimen as control group.

Update of adjuvant chemotherapy for resected gastric cancer

Gastric cancer is the second cause of cancer that is related to death and the fourth most common cancer, worldwide. Complete resection of cancer is the only curative treatment for gastric cancer. However, even if complete resection is possible, recurrence is frequently observed in Gastric patients. Therefore, adjuvant treatment modality for resectable gastric cancer is needed to increase the survival of patients. This study wants to describe the role of adjuvant chemotherapy for resectable gastric cancer, with updated data of recent studies. Several meta-analysis studies demonstrated a benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy for resectable gastric cancer. Due to the heterogeneity of the population and regimens, there is no consensus regarding the adjuvant chemotherapy. Recently published, well designed phase III studies demonstrated the statistically significance of adjuvant chemotherapy for the resectable gastric cancer, with the extended lymph node dissection. Further phase III trials, to determine the best regimen and schedule of adjuvant chemotherapy, was suggested to use the fluoropyrimidine based regimen as control group.

Helicobacter pylori infection as an independent prognostic factor for locally advanced gastric cancer patients treated with adjuvant chemotherapy after curative resection

A few studies reported the association between negative Helicobacter pylori infection and poor clinical outcome in resected gastric cancer patients. We investigated the H. pylori infection status and its association with the clinical outcome in 274 locally advanced gastric cancer patients (American Joint Committee on Cancer stage IB: 25, II: 82, IIIA: 80, IIIB: 39 and IV: 48) who underwent adjuvant chemotherapy after curative resection (≥ D2 dissection). H. pylori infection status in hematoxylin and eosin stained corporal and antral mucosa of non-tumor tissue was graded according to the updated Sydney System and categorized as H. pylori negative (normal or mild infection) and H. pylori positive (moderate or marked infection). Eighty-one patients received 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and doxorubicin-based chemotherapy, while 193 patients underwent 5-FU, mitomycin-C and polysaccharide-K chemotherapy. The median follow-up duration of survivors was 144 (120-184) months. In univariate analysis, patients with H. pylori negative status (108 patients) demonstrated significantly poor 10-year overall survival (OS) compared to those with H. pylori-positive status (166 patients; 21.3% vs. 71.1%, p < 0.0001). H. pylori negative status was associated with poor outcome in all stages except stage IIIB. In multivariate analysis, H. pylori-negative status was the most significant independent prognostic factor of poor OS (hazard ratio: 3.45, 95% confidence interval: 2.43-4.89, p < 0.0001) followed by old age (>54 years, p < 0.0001), advanced stage (stage III or IV, p = 0.001), and Borrmann type IV (p = 0.027). H. pylori infection status seems to have strong prognostic significance in locally advanced gastric cancer. H. pylori-negative patients may need careful follow-up after curative resection.

Postoperative chemoradiotherapy in gastric cancer: a phase I study of radiotherapy with dose escalation of oxaliplatin, 5-fluorouracil, and leucovorin (FOLFOX regimen)

Concurrent chemoradiotherapy begins to be more and more widely accepted as a standard adjuvant treatment in gastric cancer. And oxaliplatin, leucovorin, and 5-fluorouracil (FOLFOX) also reveals to be a very effective regimen in gastric cancer. But the safety and the dosages of FOLFOX combining with radiotherapy are still unknown. This study was to determine the maximum-tolerated dose and the dose-limiting toxicity of FOLFOX with higher-dose concurrent radiotherapy (RT) as adjuvant treatment in patients with gastric cancer. Patients with Stage II/III gastric cancer after surgery were recruited. They received one cycle of induction chemotherapy (standard FOLFOX4). Then, they received 50.4 Gy in 1.8-Gy fractions in combination with two cycles of concurrent FOLFOX, and oxaliplatin among this regimen was administered with escalating doses. Dose-limiting toxicity including grade 3 or grade 4 hematologic and nonhematologic toxicities was investigated. Fifteen patients were enrolled at the following dose levels: oxaliplatin 55 mg/m(2) (3 patients), 65 mg/m(2) (6 patients), and 75 mg/m(2) (6 patients). Dose-limiting toxicity was observed in 1 patient at 65 mg/m(2) (grade 4 leukopenia) and in 3 patients at 75 mg/m(2) (1 patient had grade 4 leukopenia, 1 had grade 3 thrombocytopenia, and 1 had grade 3 stomatitis). Combination chemotherapy FOLFOX with oxaliplatin 65 mg/m(2), d 1; leucovorin 200 mg/m(2), 2 h, d1-2; 5-fluorouracil 400 mg/m(2), iv, d 1-2 and 600 mg/m(2) civ, 22 h, d 1-2 given concurrently with RT (50.4 Gy) can be recommended as a safer and preferable regimen for the adjuvant treatment of patients with gastric cancer.

R0 resection in the treatment of gastric cancer: Room for improvement

Gastric carcinoma is one of the most frequent malignancies in the world and its clinical behavior especially depends on the metastatic potential of the tumor. In particular, lymphatic metastasis is one of the main predictors of tumor recurrence and survival, and current pathological staging systems reflect the concept that lymphatic spread is the most relevant prognostic factor in patients undergoing curative resection. This is compounded by the observation that two-thirds of gastric cancer in the Western world presents at an advanced stage, with lymph node metastasis at diagnosis. All current therapeutic efforts in gastric cancer are directed toward individualization of therapeutic protocols, tailoring the extent of resection and the administration of preoperative and postoperative treatment. The goals of all these strategies are to improve prognosis towards the achievement of a curative resection (R0 resection) with minimal morbidity and mortality, and better postoperative quality of life.

Adjuvant FOLFOX-4 in patients with radically resected gastric cancer: Tolerability and prognostic factors

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the toxicity and efficacy of the FOLFOX-4 regimen as adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with gastric cancer after radical surgery. Fifty-four patients (1 stage Ib, 6 stage II, 22 stage IIIa, 14 stage IIIb and 11 stage IV) received 8-12 cycles of FOLFOX-4 (oxaliplatin 85 mg/m(2), Day 1; leucovorin 100 mg/m(2) i.v., Days 1 and 2; 5-fluorouracil 400 mg/m(2) i.v. bolus, Days 1 and 2 and 600 mg/m(2) in 22 h i.v. continuous infusion, Days 1 and 2; every 14 days). Toxicity was recorded at each cycle according to the National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria. Disease-free (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were calculated according to the Kaplan-Meier method. Thirty-eight patients (70.4%) completed the prescribed number of cycles of chemotherapy. The toxicity was mild. Grade 3-4 neutropenia occurred in 57% of patients, thrombocytopenia and anemia in 2% of cases. Peripheral neuropathy was experienced by 46% of the patients (grade 4 in 2% of cases). Five patients experienced grade 3 gastrointestinal toxicity. After a median follow-up of 33.1 months, 17 patients relapsed and 17 succumbed to the disease. The mean observed DFS and OS were 49.7 months (range 40.7-58.8) and 57.9 months (range 49.6-66.2), respectively. At univariate analysis, females and patients who had received <8 cycles of chemotherapy had a significantly worse probability of DFS and OS. The Cox model showed gender to be independent of the factors affecting DFS. Adjuvant FOLFOX-4 is feasible and well-tolerated in patients radically resected for gastric cancer. Receiving <4 months of adjuvant FOLFOX-4 could be detrimental to prognosis.

Postoperative chemoradiotherapy in gastric cancer--a phase I-II study of radiotherapy with dose escalation of weekly cisplatin and daily capecitabine chemotherapy

BACKGROUND

Postoperative chemoradiotherapy with concurrent 5-fluorouracil improves gastric cancer outcome. We previously demonstrated that chemoradiotherapy with a more intensified--and therefore potentially more effective--schedule with daily cisplatin and oral capecitabine is feasible. Because such an intensive schedule requires an extensive logistic infrastructure which is not available in every hospital, we additionally investigated the tolerability of this combined regimen with weekly instead of daily cisplatin in a dose-escalation study.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

After R0 or R1 resection, treatment initiated with capecitabine 1000 mg/m(2) b.i.d. for 2 weeks and 1-week rest. Subsequently, patients received capecitabine (575-650 mg/m(2) orally b.i.d., 5 days/week) and cisplatin (20-25 mg/m(2) i.v., once weekly) according to a predefined dose-escalation schedule concurrent with radiation. Radiotherapy was given to a fixed total dose of 45 Gy in 25 fractions.

RESULTS

Thirty-one patients were eligible and started treatment. During chemoradiotherapy, seven patients developed 10 items of grade III and one episode of grade IV (mainly hematological) toxicity (National Cancer Institute-Common Toxicity Criteria version 3.0). The maximum tolerable dose was determined to be for cisplatin 20 mg/m(2) i.v. weekly and for capecitabine 575 mg/m(2) b.i.d. orally.

CONCLUSIONS

This phase I-II study demonstrated that postoperative chemoradiotherapy with weekly cisplatin and daily capecitabine is feasible in gastric cancer at the defined dose level. This schedule is currently being tested as the experimental arm in a phase III multicenter study (CRITICS: chemoradiotherapy after induction chemotherapy in cancer of the stomach; Clinicaltrials.gov NCT 00407186).

The effect of adjuvant chemotherapy on stage IV (T4N1-3M0 and T1-3N3M0) gastric cancer

PURPOSE

The optimal chemotherapeutic strategy for gastric cancer patients has not been determined, especially with respect to stage and the curability of gastric cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the results of adjuvant chemotherapy on stage IV (T4N1-3M0 and T1-3N3M0) gastric cancer after curative gastrectomy between a chemotherapy (CTX) group and non-chemotherapy (non-CTX) group.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Among 1,760 patients who underwent gastric surgery by 1 surgeon in a single institution, 162 stage IV gastric cancer patients with curative gastrectomy were analyzed retrospectively, excluding patients with TanyNanyM1. One hundred twenty-five patients who received different chemotherapeutic regimens were compared to 37 patients who did not receive chemotherapy for reasons of old age or according to their expressed desire.

RESULTS

The clinicopathologic factors which showed a clinically significant difference between the two groups were age and histology, which were not associated with patient survival. The CTX group was younger, and had a larger proportion of undifferentiated gastric cancers than the non-CTX group. The mode of treatment failure revealed no significant difference between the CTX and non-CTX groups. The 1, 3, and 5-year disease-free survival and the 1, 3, and 5-year disease-specific survival of the CTX group were 63.9%, 38.4%, and 32.0%, and 85.4%, 52.3%, and 39.6%, respectively, which were more favorable than the non-CTX group (p=0.015 and p=0.001, respectively). Postoperative adjuvant CTX was an independent risk factor for disease-specific survival of stage IV (T4N1-3M0 and T1-3N3M0) gastric cancer patients after curative gastrectomy by multivariate analysis (odds ratio=2.153; 95% confidence interval=1.349-3.435; p=0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Adjuvant CTX may be associated with survival benefit for younger patients with stage IV (T4N1-3M0 and T1-3N3M0) gastric cancer with undifferentiated histology after curative gastrectomy. A randomized controlled trial to reveal the effect of stage-specific adjuvant chemotherapy should be conducted.