Frontline treatment of advanced gastric cancer with docetaxel and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF): a phase II trial

Feasibility and predictive factors on the completion of docetaxel plus S-1 adjuvant chemotherapy in pathological stage III gastric cancer

Background

The standard adjuvant chemotherapy regimen for stage III gastric cancer is docetaxel plus S-1 (DS) based on the results of the START-II trials. However, in clinical practice some patients could not continue this intensive doublet chemotherapy because of limited tolerability. This study aimed to assess the practical feasibility of DS and elucidate the predictive factors for the completion of adjuvant DS therapy.

Methods

Data from consecutive patients who underwent radical gastrectomy between 2018 and 2021 and were diagnosed with histopathologically confirmed stage III gastric cancer were retrospectively collected. First, the completion rate and adverse effects of DS were assessed. Second, the association between DS incompletion and patient backgrounds including body weight, skeletal muscle index (SMI), and intramuscular adipose content (IMAC) were examined.

Results

Of 87 patients, 59 patients (67.8%) completed DS and dose reduction was required in 18 patients (20.6%). Neutropenia of grade 3 or higher was the most common hematological toxicity observed (17.2%). The most frequent nonhematological toxicity of grade 3 or higher was fatigue (6.9%), followed by diarrhea (5.7%), nausea (4.5%), and anorexia (4.5%). In a multivariate analysis, low SMI (p = 0.005) and high IMAC (p = 0.004) were significant risk factors for DS incompletion.

Conclusions

DS adjuvant chemotherapy after radical gastrectomy for pathological stage III gastric cancer is acceptable, even in clinical practice, with respect to completion and toxicity. Additionally, the body composition factors such as SMI and IMAC might be useful in predicting incompletion of DS. These findings will help us to preoperatively select patients for DS.

Natural Small Molecules in Gastrointestinal Tract and Associated Cancers: Molecular Insights and Targeted Therapies

Gastric cancer is one of the most common cancers of the gastrointestinal tract. Although surgery is the primary treatment, serious maladies that dissipate to other parts of the body may require chemotherapy. As there is no effective procedure to treat stomach cancer, natural small molecules are a current focus of research interest for the development of better therapeutics. Chemotherapy is usually used as a last resort for people with advanced stomach cancer. Anti-colon cancer chemotherapy has become increasingly effective due to drug resistance and sensitivity across a wide spectrum of drugs. Naturally-occurring substances have been widely acknowledged as an important project for discovering innovative medications, and many therapeutic pharmaceuticals are made from natural small molecules. Although the beneficial effects of natural products are as yet unknown, emerging data suggest that several natural small molecules could suppress the progression of stomach cancer. Therefore, the underlying mechanism of natural small molecules for pathways that are directly involved in the pathogenesis of cancerous diseases is reviewed in this article. Chemotherapy and molecularly-targeted drugs can provide hope to colon cancer patients. New discoveries could help in the fight against cancer, and future stomach cancer therapies will probably include molecularly formulated drugs.

Biodegradable Magnetic Molecularly Imprinted Anticancer Drug Carrier for the Targeted Delivery of Docetaxel

Molecularly imprinted biodegradable polymers are receiving considerable attention in drug delivery due to their ability of targeted recognition and biocompatibility. This study reports the synthesis of a novel fluorescence-active magnetic molecularly imprinted drug carrier (MIDC) using a glucose-based biodegradable cross-linking agent for the delivery of anticancer drug docetaxel. The magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer (MMIP) was characterized through scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction spectroscopy, and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). The MMIP presented a magnetization value of 0.0059 emu g^-1 and binding capacity of 72 mg g^-1 with docetaxel. In vitro and in vivo studies were performed to observe the effectiveness of the MIDC for drug delivery. The cell viability assay suggested that the MMIP did not present toxic effects on healthy cells. The magnetic property of the MMIP allowed quick identification of the drug carrier at the target site by applying the external magnetic field to mice (after 20 min of loading) and taking X-ray images. The novel MMIP-based drug carrier could thus deliver the drug at the target site without affecting the healthy cells.

The Comparison of mDCF and mFOLFOX-6 as First-Line Treatment in Metastatic Gastric Cancer

Introduction: Fluoropyrimidine and platinum-based chemotherapy regimens are widely accepted for metastatic gastric cancer (GC). Because of drug toxicity, a combined two-drug cytotoxic drug regimen is recommended for first-line therapy, while three-drug cytotoxic regimens are recommended for patients with medically fit and better performance status. In this study, it was aimed to compare modified FOLFOX-6 (mFOLFOX-6) and modified DCF (mDCF) regimens in terms of survival and side effects in first-line treatment in metastatic GC.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical record of patients with metastatic gastric or gastro-esophageal junction cancer who had received mDCF or mFOLFOX-6 as the first-line treatment, and followed up in our center between February 2013 and December 2020. The data were collected from the patients' registration database of the hospital and oncologic follow-up files of our center. In the mDCF arm, docetaxel 60 mg/m² and cisplatin 60 mg/m² on day 1 intravenous (i.v.) infusion, and 600 mg/m² 5-fluorouracil (FU) as a continuous infusion for five days were administrated every three weeks for up to six cycles. In the mFOLFOX-6 arm, 85 mg/m² oxaliplatin and 400 mg/m² LV as an i.v. infusion over two hours and a 5-FU bolus of 400 mg/m² as a 10-minute infusion, followed by 2.400 mg/m² 5-FU as a 46-hour continuous infusion were administrated every two weeks for up to six cycles. Univariate and multivariate analyses for overall survival (OS) were performed by Cox proportional hazards regression model. Survival analysis was performed by the Kaplan-Meier method with the Long-rank test. P-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: A total of 70 patients included into the study. Of those, 40 (57%) patients had received mDCF and 30 (43%) had received FOLFOX-6 regimens as first-line treatment. There were no complete responses in both groups. The partial response rate was 28% and 27% for mDCF and mFOLFOX-6, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference regarding treatment response for both groups (p=0.787). The median OS was 13.9 months (95% CI: 7.5-20.4) in the mDCF arm, and 10.4 months (95% CI: 6.4-14.4) in the mFOLFOX-6 arm (p=0.409). The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 5.2 months (95% CI: 3.6-6.9) in the mDCF arm, and 6.4 months (3.2-9.6) in the FOLFOX-6 arm (p=0.126). The ratio of dose reduction, treatment delay, and neutropenic fever were not statistically different between treatment arms.

Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that proper patient selection for metastatic GC may give rise to comparable survival rates without increased toxicity. mFOLFOX-6 and mDCF had similar response rates, OS, PFS, and side effect profiles.

Docetaxel plus S-1 versus cisplatin plus S-1 in unresectable gastric cancer without measurable lesions: a randomized phase II trial (HERBIS-3)

BACKGROUND

Cisplatin plus S-1 (CS) is the standard first-line chemotherapy for advanced gastric cancer (AGC) in Japan. A previous phase III trial showed that docetaxel plus S-1 (DS) was effective for AGC without measurable lesions, but no studies have compared these two regimens.

METHODS

Eligible patients had unresectable or recurrent HER2-negative AGC without measurable lesions. Patients were randomized to DS (docetaxel 40 mg/m² on day 1, S-1 80-120 mg on days 1-14, every 3 weeks) or CS (cisplatin 60 mg/m² on day 8, S-1 80-120 mg on days 1-21, every 5 weeks). The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS).

RESULTS

All patients had unresectable primary disease. Sixty-one patients were randomly assigned to DS (n = 30) or CS (n = 31). One CS patient was ineligible due to HER2 positivity. The median number of cycles was 9.5 (range 2-49) with DS and 5.5 (range 1-10) with CS. There were no treatment-related deaths. The most common grade 3-4 non-hematological toxicity was fatigue (7% with DS, 13% with CS), followed by anorexia (3% with DS, 10% with CS) and diarrhea (3% with DS, 10% with CS). The 2-year OS rates were 43.3% with DS and 30.0% with CS (log-rank P = 0.113), with a hazard ratio of 0.617 (95% confidence interval 0.337-1.128), indicating non-inferiority of DS to CS with respect to OS (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

DS showed slightly but nonsignificantly less toxicity and higher efficacy than CS for AGC without measurable lesions. DS should be further investigated in phase III trials.

Panitumumab in combination with modified docetaxel/cisplatin/5-fluorouracil as first-line treatment in gastric and gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinomas: a multicenter phase II study by the Hellenic Oncology Research Group

Background

A phase I/II study to define the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of biweekly docetaxel/cisplatin/5-fluorouracil (DCF) plus panitumumab (P), its efficacy, and tolerability as first-line treatment in advanced gastroesophageal cancer.

Methods

In phase I part, patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic adenocarcinomas of the stomach or the gastroesophageal junction received cisplatin (40 mg/m² on day 1), leucovorin (400 mg/m² on day 1), 5-fluorouracil (400 mg/m² bolus on day 1), 5-fluorouracil (1000 mg/m²/daycontinuous infusion on days 1-2), and escalated doses of docetaxel (on day 1) plus P (6 mg/kg on day 1) every 2 weeks. In phase II part, patients were treated with DCF/P at the MTD and the primary endpoint was response rate. The expected response rate was set at >40%.

Results

The MTD for docetaxel in the mDCF/P was defined at 40 mg/m² and a total of 40 evaluable patients were enrolled in phase II study. One (2.5%) complete and 13 (32.5%) partial responses (overall response rate: 35%), as well as 16 (40%) disease stabilizations were documented. The median progression-free survival was 6.9 months (95% confidence interval [CI] 3.5-10.3) and the median overall survival was 11.3 months (95%CI 7.7-14.8). Grade 3-4 neutropenia occurred in 10 patients (25%) and febrile neutropenia in 2 (5%). Allergic reactions (grade 1-4) occurred in 9 patients (22.5%). There was 1 treatment-related death.

Conclusions

mDCF/P combination was feasible, though associated with a poor toxicity profile. However, the study failed to meet its primary endpoint and was terminated prematurely due to futility.

Efficacy and safety of first-line systemic chemotherapy with epirubicin, cisplatin plus 5-fluorouracil and docetaxel, cisplatin plus 5-fluorouracil regimens in locally advanced inoperable or metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma: A prospective phase II study from South India

BACKGROUND

Patients with locally advanced inoperable or metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma have a poor prognosis. The maximum benefit of systemic chemotherapy is usually achieved in the first-line setting. Even though systemic chemotherapy has been used for long time, in view of unsatisfactory results, no standard regimen has been emerged. Unfortunately, till date, there is no published prospective data from India, comparing the two most commonly used triplet regimens, epirubicin, cisplatin plus 5-fluorouracil (ECF) and docetaxel, cisplatin plus 5-fluorouracil (DCF), in this patient population.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The present study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of the first-line systemic chemotherapy with ECF and DCF regimens in locally advanced inoperable or metastatic gastric or GEJ adenocarcinoma. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS). The secondary endpoints were overall response rate, progression-free survival (PFS), and toxicity profile.

RESULTS

Between January 2015 and December 2016, 58 patients were assigned and treated with ECF (n = 30) or DCF (n = 28) regimens. The median OS was 9.4 months with ECF and 12.5 months with DCF regimen (log-rank, P = 0.000), while median PFS was 5.8 and 7.5 months, respectively (log-rank, P = 0.002). Patients in the DCF arm had more frequent reductions in chemotherapy doses than those of the ECF arm (28.6% vs. 16.7%; P = 0.54). As compared with the ECF, the DCF regimen was associated with more frequent Grades 3-4 toxicities-neutropenia (16.7% vs. 39.3%, P = 0.17), febrile neutropenia (13.3% vs. 25%, P = 0.52), mucositis (6.7% vs. 17.8%, P = 0.43), and diarrhea (6.7% vs. 14.3%, P = 0.67).

CONCLUSIONS

In comparison to ECF, the DCF regimen was associated with a statistically significant 3.1 months longer median OS without any significant increase in Grades 3-4 toxicities. DCF can be considered as one of the reference regimens, in properly selected patients with advanced/metastatic gastric or GEJ adenocarcinoma.

Phase II Study of Adjuvant Chemoradiotherapy Using Docetaxel/Cisplatin/5-Fluorouracil Before and After Intensity-modulated Radiotherapy With Concurrent Docetaxel in Patients With Completely (R0) Resected Gastric Carcinoma

OBJECTIVES

The Intergroup 0116 study has demonstrated a significant survival benefit for completely resected (R0) gastric cancer patients treated with a fluorouracil/leucovorin chemoradiotherapy regimen. However, this regimen is also toxic and less effective in terms of distant disease control. Therefore, a more efficacious and safer regimen is urgently needed.

METHODS

Patients with R0 resected gastric carcinoma received up to two 21-day cycles of postoperative adjuvant preradiation and postradiation DCF chemotherapy (docetaxel 37.5 mg/m on days 1 and 8, cisplatin 25 mg/m on days 1 to 3, and a continuous infusion of fluorouracil 750 mg/m on days 1 to 5), respectively. Chemoradiotherapy between preradiation and postradiation chemotherapy was initiated on day 43 and consisted of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (45 Gy) plus concurrent docetaxel 20 mg/m weekly for 5 weeks.

RESULTS

A total of 55 patients were evaluated and 76% (42) of patients completed the prescribed therapy. With a median follow-up of 61 months, the 3- and 5-year progression-free survival rates were 67% (95% confidence interval [CI], 54%-80%) and 59% (95% CI, 46%-72%), respectively; and the 3- and 5-year overall survival rates were 72% (95% CI, 60%-84%) and 61% (95% CI, 48%-74%), respectively. The most common grade 3 or greater toxicity, during the chemotherapy phase, was neutropenia (24%). Common grade 3/4 toxicities during concurrent chemoradiotherapy were nausea (32%), vomiting (26%), fatigue (15%), and anorexia (19%).

CONCLUSIONS

These results demonstrate that this adjuvant regimen is active with an acceptable toxicity profile. A randomized phase 3 trial comparing the Intergroup 0116 chemoradiotherapy regimen with this regimen is underway.

Nab-paclitaxel as second-line treatment in advanced gastric cancer: a multicenter phase II study of the Hellenic Oncology Research Group

Background

This study evaluated the safety and efficacy of nab-paclitaxel as second-line treatment in patients with advanced gastric adenocarcinoma.

Methods

Thirty-nine pretreated patients [33 with taxane-based regimens (docetaxel, cisplatin, and fluorouracil)] and 6 with combination of fluoropyrimidines plus cisplatin with locally advanced inoperable and metastatic gastric and gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma were treated with weekly nab-paclitaxel (150 mg/m² d1, d8, d15 in cycles of 28 days).

Results

Partial response (PR) was documented in nine patients (23.1%; 95% confidence interval 10.1-37.2%), stable disease (SD) in 11 (28.2%) and disease progression in 18 (46.2%). The disease control rate (SD + PR + complete response) was 51.3%. Grade 3 and 4 neutropenia occurred in 10.2% and 5.1% of patients, respectively; grade 3 anemia in 5.1%; grade 3 neurotoxicity in 5.1%; and grade 2 pain in 5.1%. The median progression-free survival was 3.0 months (range 0.3-13.6) and the median overall survival 6.8 months (range 0.3-22).

Conclusion

Nab-paclitaxel as second-line treatment in locally advanced inoperable or metastatic gastric and gastroesophageal junction carcinoma is an active chemotherapy regimen with a manageable toxicity profile and merits further evaluation.

Gastric cancer

Gastric cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death worldwide. Many patients have inoperable disease at diagnosis or have recurrent disease after resection with curative intent. Gastric cancer is separated anatomically into true gastric adenocarcinomas and gastro-oesophageal-junction adenocarcinomas, and histologically into diffuse and intestinal types. Gastric cancer should be treated by teams of experts from different disciplines. Surgery is the only curative treatment. For locally advanced disease, adjuvant or neoadjuvant therapy is usually implemented in combination with surgery. In metastatic disease, outcomes are poor, with median survival being around 1 year. Targeted therapies, such as trastuzumab, an antibody against HER2 (also known as ERBB2), and the VEGFR-2 antibody ramucirumab, have been introduced. In this Seminar, we present an update of the causes, classification, diagnosis, and treatment of gastric cancer.

Epirubicin-based compared with docetaxel-based chemotherapy for advanced gastric carcinoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Docetaxel or Epirubicin-based regimens are both approved for the treatment of metastatic gastric cancer. We perform a systemic review with metanalysis to evaluate the efficacy and toxicities of docetaxel-based chemotherapy compared with epirubicin-containing regimens. A metaanalysis of randomized studies in accordance with the preference guidelines for reported items in systematic reviews and meta-analyses is performed in which the databases of PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and the ASCO University Meeting were searched for relevant publications. The primary outcome was efficacy, the secondary toxicities. A total of 553 cases were included in the meta-analysis; 278 received epirubicin-based treatment and 313 received docetaxel. The pooled risk ratio to achieve an objective response and a disease control rate were 1.08 (95% CI 0.85-1.37; P=0.52) and 0.90 (95% CI 0.75-1.08; P=0.27) respectively. EPI arm showed a decrease in the risk of neutropenia, anemia, fatigue, asthenia and diarrhea, paraesthesia; docetaxel arm showed a decrease in the risk of leucopenia, thrombocytopenia, anorexia, nausea, nausea-vomiting, stomatitis and neutropenic fever. The results of our study suggest a similar activity of docetaxel and epirubicin-based chemotherapeutic regimens in metastatic gastric cancer. Other parameters as, comorbidity, concomitant diseases and prior therapies should be taken into account to address the clinician's choice in selecting the best therapeutical approach for any single patient.

Phase II study of docetaxel, oxaliplatin, and S-1 therapy in patients with metastatic gastric cancer

BACKGROUND

Although the docetaxel, 5-fluorouracil, and cisplatin triplet has yielded significant improvements in time to progression, overall survival, and overall response rate, the high incidence of severe adverse events limits the use of the docetaxel, 5-fluorouracil, and cisplatin triplet. To overcome this limitation, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of the combination of docetaxel, oxaliplatin, and S-1 for the treatment of metastatic gastric cancer.

METHODS

Chemotherapy-naive patients with pathologically proven unresectable recurrent or metastatic gastric adenocarcinoma were assessed for eligibility. Docetaxel at 52.5 mg/m(2) and oxaliplatin at 105 mg/m(2) were administered intravenously on day 1, and S-1 was administered orally at 80 mg/m(2) on days 1-14 of every 21-day cycle.

RESULTS

Forty-four patients (median age 54.5 years) were enrolled. All patients had metastatic disease. A total of 340 cycles of chemotherapy were administered (median of eight cycles per patient; range 1-36 cycles). Toxicities were evaluated in 43 patients, and the responses were evaluated in 40 patients. Major toxicities included grade 3/4 neutropenia (37.2 %) and leukopenia (27.9 %). The overall response rate was 54.5 % [95 % confidence interval (CI) 40.1-68.3 %] in the intention-to-treat population. The median progression-free survival and overall survival were 7.6 months (95 % CI 6.2-9.0 months) and 12.0 months (95 % CI 6.9-17.2 months), respectively.

CONCLUSION

These data suggest that the docetaxel, oxaliplatin, and S-1 combination regimen is effective and relatively well tolerable, and it seems to have potential to be a reasonable therapeutic strategy in patients with metastatic or recurrent gastric cancer.

Efficacy and tolerability of chemotherapy with modified dose-dense TCF regimen (TCF-dd) in locally advanced or metastatic gastric cancer: final results of a phase II trial

BACKGROUND

We previously studied a dose-dense TCF (TCF-dd) regimen demonstrating its feasibility and an activity comparable to epirubicin-based chemotherapy and TCF q3w in terms of overall survival and time to progression (TTP). We report here the final results of a phase II study of chemotherapy with a modified TCF-dd regimen in locally advanced or metastatic gastric cancer (MGC).

METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN

Patients with histologically confirmed measurable MGC, not previously treated for advanced disease, received docetaxel 70 mg/m(2) day 1, cisplatin 60 mg/m(2) day 1, l-folinic acid 100 mg/m(2) days 1 and 2, followed by 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) 400 mg/m(2) bolus days 1 and 2, and then 600 mg/m(2) as a 22-h continuous infusion days 1 and 2, every 14 days, plus pegfilgrastim 6 mg on day 3. Patients aged ≥65 years received the same schedule with a dose reduction of 30 %.

RESULTS

Study duration: December 2007-November 2010. Forty-six consecutive patients were enrolled (78 % male, 22 % female; median age, 66 years, range, 38-76 years; ECOG PS: 0, 48 %, 1, 46 %). Primary endpoint was overall response rate (ORR). A median of four cycles (range, one to six) was administered. Forty-three patients were evaluated for response (93.5 %) and all for toxicity: 3 complete response (CR), 25 partial response (PR), 10 stable disease (SD), and 5 progressive disease (PD) were observed, for an ORR by intention to treat (ITT) of 61 % (95 % CI 47-75). Median overall survival (OS) was 17.63 months (95 % CI, 13.67-20.67); median progression-free survival was 8.9 months (95 % CI, 6.5-13.4). Twenty-one patients (46.0 %) were treated at full doses without any delay, thus respecting the dose-dense criterion. Most frequent grade 3-4 toxicities were neutropenia (20 %), leukopenia (4 %), thrombocytopenia (2 %), anemia (2 %), febrile neutropenia (6 %), asthenia (22 %), diarrhea (4 %), nausea/vomiting (11 %), and hypokalemia (6 %). Overall, TCF-dd was shown to be safe.

CONCLUSIONS

The TCF-dd regimen in locally advanced or MGC is confirmed to be feasible and very active and needs to be further tested in randomized studies.

Addition of docetaxel to S-1 without platinum prolongs survival of patients with advanced gastric cancer: a randomized study (START)

Purpose

Cisplatin plus 5-fluorouracil has been globally accepted as a standard regimen for the treatment for advanced gastric cancer. However, cisplatin has several disadvantages, including renal toxicity and the need for admission. S-1 plus cisplatin has become a standard treatment for advanced gastric cancer in East Asia. This phase III study was designed to evaluate the potential benefits of adding docetaxel to S-1 without a platinum compound in patients with advanced gastric cancer.

Methods

Patients were randomly assigned to receive docetaxel plus S-1 or S-1 alone. The docetaxel plus S-1 group received docetaxel on day 1 and oral S-1 on days 1–14 of a 21-day cycle. The S-1 alone group received oral S-1 on days 1–28 of a 42-day cycle. The primary end point was overall survival.

Results

Of the 639 patients enrolled, 635 were eligible for analysis. The median overall survival was 12.5 months in the docetaxel plus S-1 group and 10.8 months in the S-1 alone group (p = 0.032). The median progression-free survival was 5.3 months in the docetaxel plus S-1 group and 4.2 months in the S-1 alone group (p = 0.001). As for adverse events, neutropenia was more frequent in the docetaxel plus S-1 group, but remained manageable.

Conclusion

As first-line treatment for advanced gastric cancer, docetaxel plus S-1 significantly improves median overall and progression-free survival as compared with S-1 alone. (ClinicalTrials.gov number: NCT00287768).

Addition of docetaxel to S-1 without platinum prolongs survival of patients with advanced gastric cancer: a randomized study (START)

PURPOSE

Cisplatin plus 5-fluorouracil has been globally accepted as a standard regimen for the treatment for advanced gastric cancer. However, cisplatin has several disadvantages, including renal toxicity and the need for admission. S-1 plus cisplatin has become a standard treatment for advanced gastric cancer in East Asia. This phase III study was designed to evaluate the potential benefits of adding docetaxel to S-1 without a platinum compound in patients with advanced gastric cancer.

METHODS

Patients were randomly assigned to receive docetaxel plus S-1 or S-1 alone. The docetaxel plus S-1 group received docetaxel on day 1 and oral S-1 on days 1-14 of a 21-day cycle. The S-1 alone group received oral S-1 on days 1-28 of a 42-day cycle. The primary end point was overall survival.

RESULTS

Of the 639 patients enrolled, 635 were eligible for analysis. The median overall survival was 12.5 months in the docetaxel plus S-1 group and 10.8 months in the S-1 alone group (p = 0.032). The median progression-free survival was 5.3 months in the docetaxel plus S-1 group and 4.2 months in the S-1 alone group (p = 0.001). As for adverse events, neutropenia was more frequent in the docetaxel plus S-1 group, but remained manageable.

CONCLUSION

As first-line treatment for advanced gastric cancer, docetaxel plus S-1 significantly improves median overall and progression-free survival as compared with S-1 alone. (ClinicalTrials.gov number: NCT00287768).

Bimonthly regimen of high-dose leucovorin, infusional 5-fluorouracil, docetaxel, and cisplatin (modified DCF) in advanced gastric adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND

The combination of docetaxel, cisplatin, and 5-fluorouracil (DCF) is an effective but highly toxic regimen for the treatment of advanced gastric cancer. To improve tolerability while maintaining the efficacy of the DCF regimen, we developed a modified DCF regimen including an infusional 5-fluorouracil administration according to the de Gramont regimen.

METHODS

In this study, 70 patients with advanced gastric cancer were treated. Each 2-week cycle consisted of docetaxel (60 mg/m(2)), cisplatin (50 mg/m(2)), a 5-fluorouracil (400 mg/m(2)) i.v. bolus, and 5-fluorouracil (2,400 mg/m(2)) i.v. over 46 h plus leucovorin (400 mg/m(2)) i.v. over 2 h.

RESULTS

The median progression-free survival and overall survival were 9.0 months (95% CI, 7.1-10.9) and 10.8 months (95% CI, 7.4-14.2), respectively; the 1-year and 2-year overall survival rates were 46.3 and 18.4%, respectively. Twenty-nine (41.4%) partial responses, 19 (27.1%) stable disease, and 22 (31.4%) progression of disease were observed. Grade 3-4 toxicities included neutropenia (37.1%), febrile neutropenia (15.7%), thrombocytopenia (10.0%), anemia (8.6%), nausea and vomiting (10.0%), stomatitis (5.7%), infection (8.6%), and diarrhea (2.9%).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results show that a de Gramont-based DCF regimen may have tolerable toxicities and be an effective and convenient palliative treatment for advanced gastric cancer.

A multicentre randomised trial comparing weekly paclitaxel + S-1 with weekly paclitaxel + 5-fluorouracil for patients with advanced gastric cancer

PURPOSE

This study aimed to compare the efficacy and toxicity of weekly paclitaxel plus S-1 with weekly paclitaxel plus 5-fluorouracil in treating advanced gastric cancer as first line regimen. The primary end-point was disease control rate (DCR).

METHODS

Patients with advanced or recurrent gastric cancer were randomly assigned to an experimental arm or a control arm. The experimental arm's dosage schedule was paclitaxel 60 mg/m2 (intravenous infusion) on days 1, 8 and 15 and S-1 80-120 mg/d (oral administration) on days 1-14. Control arm patients were given the same paclitaxel, combined with 5-fluorouracil 500 mg/m2 (continuous intravenous infusion) on days 1-5; and leucovorin 20 mg/m2 (intravenous infusion) on days 1-5. All schedules were repeated every 28 d.

RESULTS

A total of 240 patients were enrolled and equally randomised into two arms. The overall response rate and DCR of the experimental arm was non-inferior to that of the control arm both in the per-protocol set and the full analysis set. The secondary end-point median progression-free survival (PFS) of the experimental and control arms was 153 and 129 d, with the hazard ratio of 0.641 (95% CI: 0.473-0.868, P = 0.004). The hazard ratio of the time to treatment failure of the two arms was 1.449 (95% CI: 0.705-2.980, P = 0.229). The six-month PFS rates of both arms were similar (31.3% versus 31.8%, P = 0.94). Cox regression analysis indicated that only treatment regimen and age were independent predictive factors for PFS. The most common adverse events were haematological and gastrointestinal. The rates of grade 3-4 adverse events were not significantly different between the two study arms and were mostly lower than 5%.

CONCLUSION

Weekly paclitaxel combined with S-1 is an active and well-tolerated regimen, supporting the view that S-1 can be an alternative for infusional 5-fluorouracil for advanced gastric cancer.

Docetaxel, cisplatin and fluorouracil (DCF) regimen compared with non-taxane-containing palliative chemotherapy for gastric carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Gastric carcinoma (GC) is one of the highest cancer-mortality diseases with a high incidence rate in Asia. For surgically unfit but medically fit patients, palliative chemotherapy is the main treatment. The chemotherapy regimen of docetaxel, cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil (DCF) has been used to treat the advanced stage or metastatic GC. It is necessary to compare effectiveness and toxicities of DCF regimen with non-taxane-containing palliative chemotherapy for GC.

METHODS

PubMed, EmBase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases were searched to select relative randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing DCF to non-taxane-containing chemotherapy for patients with palliatively resected, unresectable, recurrent or metastatic GC. Primary outcome measures were 1-year and 2-year overall survival (OS) rates. Secondary outcome measures were median survival time (MST), median time to progression (TTP), response rate and toxicities.

RESULTS

Twelve RCTs were eligible and 1089 patients were analyzed totally (549 in DCF and 540 in control). DCF regimen increased partial response rate (38.8% vs 27.9%, p = 0.0003) and reduced progressive disease rate (18.9% vs 33.3%, p = 0.0005) compared to control regimen. Significant improvement of 2-year OS rate was found in DCF regimen (RR = 2.03, p = 0.006), but not of 1-year OS rate (RR = 1.22, p = 0.08). MST was significantly prolonged by DCF regimen (p = 0.039), but not median TTP (p = 0.054). Both 1-year OS rate and median TTP had a trend of prolongation by DCF regimen. Chemotherapy-related mortality was comparable (RR = 1.23, p = 0.49) in both regimens. In grade I-IV toxicities, DCF regimen showed a major raise of febrile neutropenia (RR = 2.33, p<0.0001) and minor raises of leucopenia (RR = 1.25, p<0.00001), neutropenia (RR = 1.19, p<0.00001), and diarrhea (RR = 1.59, p<0.00001), while in other toxicities there were no significant differences.

CONCLUSION

DCF regimen has better response than non-taxane containing regimen and could potentially improve the survival outcomes. The chemotherapy-related toxicity of DCF regimen is acceptable to some extent.

Bimonthly regimen of high-dose leucovorin, infusional 5-fluorouracil, docetaxel, and cisplatin (modified DCF) in advanced gastric adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND

The combination of docetaxel, cisplatin, and 5-fluorouracil (DCF) is an effective but highly toxic regimen for the treatment of advanced gastric cancer. To improve tolerability while maintaining the efficacy of the DCF regimen, we developed a modified DCF regimen including an infusional 5-fluorouracil administration according to the de Gramont regimen.

METHODS

In this study, 70 patients with advanced gastric cancer were treated. Each 2-week cycle consisted of docetaxel (60 mg/m(2)), cisplatin (50 mg/m(2)), a 5-fluorouracil (400 mg/m(2)) i.v. bolus, and 5-fluorouracil (2,400 mg/m(2)) i.v. over 46 h plus leucovorin (400 mg/m(2)) i.v. over 2 h.

RESULTS

The median progression-free survival and overall survival were 9.0 months (95% CI, 7.1-10.9) and 10.8 months (95% CI, 7.4-14.2), respectively; the 1-year and 2-year overall survival rates were 46.3 and 18.4%, respectively. Twenty-nine (41.4%) partial responses, 19 (27.1%) stable disease, and 22 (31.4%) progression of disease were observed. Grade 3-4 toxicities included neutropenia (37.1%), febrile neutropenia (15.7%), thrombocytopenia (10.0%), anemia (8.6%), nausea and vomiting (10.0%), stomatitis (5.7%), infection (8.6%), and diarrhea (2.9%).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results show that a de Gramont-based DCF regimen may have tolerable toxicities and be an effective and convenient palliative treatment for advanced gastric cancer.

Sequential chemotherapy with cisplatin, leucovorin, and 5-fluorouracil followed by docetaxel in previously untreated patients with metastatic gastric cancer: a phase II study

BACKGROUND

The combination of docetaxel, cisplatin, and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) has demonstrated a survival advantage over cisplatin and 5-FU, but with substantial hematological toxicity. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of a sequential regimen with cisplatin, leucovorin, and 5-FU (PLF) followed by docetaxel in metastatic gastric cancer patients.

METHODS

Treatment consisted of 4 cycles of biweekly PLF (cisplatin 50 mg/m(2) as a 30-min infusion on day 1, leucovorin 200 mg/m(2) in a 2-h infusion, and 5-FU 2,800 mg/m(2) in a 48-h continuous infusion starting on day 1) followed, in cases of response or stable disease, by 3 cycles of docetaxel (75 mg/m(2), every 3 weeks).

RESULTS

Thirty-four patients were enrolled, with an average age of 64 years (range 34-69). The main cumulative grade 3-4 toxicities were: neutropenia (38.2%), febrile neutropenia (11.8%), and fatigue (14.7%). After the planned 7 cycles of treatment, the overall response rate was 38.2% (95% confidence interval [CI] 21.9-54.6), with 3 complete and 10 partial responses. Median progression-free survival and overall survival were 4.8 and 10.6 months, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

For patients with metastatic gastric cancer, the sequential administration of cisplatin, leucovorin, 5-FU, and docetaxel may be an effective palliative option and offers a far more favorable toxicity profile than the simultaneous use of docetaxel, cisplatin, and 5-FU.

Synergistic anti-proliferative effects of gambogic acid with docetaxel in gastrointestinal cancer cell lines

Summary

Weekly Taxotere and cisplatin with continuous-infusion 5-fluoruracil for the treatment of advanced gastric and esophageal cancer: a prospective, observational, single-institution experience

The combination of Taxotere (docetaxel), cisplatin, and prolonged-infusion 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) has emerged as an active treatment for advanced gastric cancer. However, the regimen proposed by van Cutsem et al. (J Clin Oncol 24:4991-7, 2006) is associated with significant toxicity and therefore alternative schedules are needed. In the present study, patients with advanced gastric or esophageal cancer received Taxotere 35 mg/m(2) and cisplatin 25 mg/m(2) on day 1, followed by 5-FU 180 mg/m(2)/day as a 7-day prolonged infusion. Drugs were given weekly for 3 consecutive weeks followed by 1 week's rest. Cycles were repeated every 4 weeks. Overall, a total of 110 cycles were administered to 27 patients (median age 63 years, range 40-78 years). The median number of cycles per patient was 4 (range 2-6). Nine partial responses were obtained, resulting in an overall response rate of 33% [95% confidence interval (CI) 16-51], a median time to progression of 6.4 months (95% CI 5.4-7.4), and a median overall survival of 10.7 months (95% CI 6.6-14.8). Toxicity was mild; grade III-IV neutropenia was the most frequently observed side effect, in 9 administered cycles (8%); neutropenia was complicated by fever in 2 cycles. Other grade III-IV toxicities observed in >5% of patients were anemia and mucositis.

Review of docetaxel in the treatment of gastric cancer

Gastric cancer is a global health problem accounting for 800,000 cancer related deaths annually. Often diagnosed at an advanced stage, the treatment of gastric cancer with chemotherapy is directed towards palliating cancer related symptoms with only modest improvements in survival. In addition, no regimen has emerged as a globally accepted standard. New therapeutic options are desperately needed for the treatment of gastric cancer. Docetaxel given in combination has recently emerged as a new option for patients with advanced gastric cancer. This review focuses on the treatment of advanced gastric cancer utilizing docetaxel-based therapy and the novel additions of biotherapy to the existing cytotoxic platforms. In addition, the current investigations of docetaxel for the treatment of potentially curable gastric cancer will be discussed.

Individualized decision-making for older men with prostate cancer: balancing cancer control with treatment consequences across the clinical spectrum

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most prevalent non-skin cancer among men and is the second leading cause of cancer death in men. PCa has an increased incidence and prevalence in older men. Age-associated incidence is on the rise due to increased screening in the older population. This has led to a sharp rise in the detection of early stage PCa. Given the indolent nature of many prostatic malignancies, a large proportion of older men with PCa will ultimately die from other causes. As a result, physicians and patients are faced with the challenge of identifying optimal treatment strategies for localized PCa, biochemically recurrent PCa and later-stage PCa. Age-related changes can impact tolerance of hormonal therapy and chemotherapy in men with metastatic disease and shift the risk-benefit ratio of these treatments. Tools such as the Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) can help estimate remaining life expectancy and can help predict treatment-related morbidity and mortality in older men. Application of CGA in older men with PCa is important to help individualize and optimize treatment strategies. Research that integrates multidisciplinary and multidimensional assessment of PCa and the patient's overall health status is needed.

Randomized phase II study of sequential docetaxel and irinotecan with 5-fluorouracil/folinic acid (leucovorin) in patients with advanced gastric cancer: the GATAC trial

BACKGROUND

The optimal chemotherapy in patients with advanced gastric carcinoma (GC) is yet to be determined. We compared sequential administration of docetaxel and irinotecan, both in combination with infused 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin (5-Fu/Lv), and randomly assigned patients to start with either of the two.

METHODS

Patients with previously untreated locally advanced or metastatic GC and with measurable lesions (response evaluation criteria in solid tumors; RECIST) were randomly assigned to start with docetaxel 45 mg/m(2) (arm T) or irinotecan 180 mg/m(2) (arm C) with bolus/44-h infusion of 5-Fu/Lv (day 1 every 2 weeks). After four courses, there was a prescheduled crossover to the alternative regimen for four additional courses.

RESULTS

Eighty-one patients were randomized and 78 started treatment. Complete and partial responses were seen in 31 (40%) patients after 8 weeks and in 32 (41%) after 16 weeks, with similar results in both study arms. The median overall survival (OS) was 11.5 and 10.6 months in arms T and C, respectively (P = 0.3). The two schedules were feasible and did not differ in the overall rate of severe adverse events (SAEs).

CONCLUSION

This is the first randomized comparison of two of the newer cytostatic drugs in GC therapy. No differences favoring either arm T or arm C were found with respect to response rate, OS, or toxicity. The median OS of 11 months indicates that sequential administration of the two combinations is effective and is similar to triple combinations. Thus, comparable efficacy to platinum combinations appears to be obtained with newer, less toxic regimens when given sequentially.

Docetaxel: its role in current and future treatments for advanced gastric cancer

A globally accepted standard chemotherapy remains undetermined in gastric cancer, but the recent introduction of active "new-generation agents" such as taxanes, irinotecan (CPT-11), oxaliplatin, S-1, and capecitabine, offers hope for markedly improving patient outcomes. Docetaxel, as well as the other new-generation agents, plays a key role in the development of the new-era chemotherapy, and the incorporation of taxanes has provided several regimens, such as docetaxel/cisplatin/5-fluorouracil (5-FU) (DCF), that could become standard treatment. The DCF regimen is now regarded as a standard treatment option in advanced gastric cancer in selected patients in good condition. Many institutions and cooperative groups continue to study a variety of docetaxel-based combinations with "new-generation cytotoxic agents" in various treatment settings, and recent attention has been focused on the incorporation of biological agents, such as cetuximab, bevacizumab, everolimus, and sunitinib, into docetaxel-containing combinations as another innovative approach. The ongoing clinical trials of a number of new regimens will clarify their clinical benefits in gastric cancer treatment. Along with the development of more active docetaxel combination regimens, the identification of predictive biomarkers for each regimen has been intensively studied recently. This review focuses on docetaxel as a key agent in gastric cancer chemotherapy, and discusses the role of this taxane in current and future treatments for advanced gastric cancer.

Weekly docetaxel and cisplatin plus fluorouracil as a preoperative treatment for gastric cancer patients with synchronous multiple hepatic metastases: a pilot study

This pilot study was undertaken to assess the effect of weekly docetaxel, cisplatin and fluorouracil (DCF) as a preoperative treatment for gastric cancer with multiple synchronous hepatic metastases. Gastric cancer patients with synchronous multiple liver metastasis were first given preoperative chemotherapy consisting of two courses (each course consisted of 6-week administration and 2-week withdrawal) of weekly DCF regimen. Following the operation, postoperative chemotherapy and hepatic arterial infusion (HAI) treatment were performed as required. Eight patients completed two courses of preoperative chemotherapy with weekly DCF regimen. No toxicity of grade 3 or more was observed during the course of chemotherapy. The response rate was 100% according to the RECIST criteria. Seven of the patients have survived for over 1 year, and six of them are still alive after more than 1 year. Because of the unexpected high response to weekly DCF, we consider that it should be verified through phase II and III trials as an important part of the comprehensive treatment for gastric cancer with liver metastasis.

Docetaxel in advanced gastric cancer--review of the main clinical trials

The aim was to investigate the activity of docetaxel in advanced gastric cancer either as single agent or in combination with other drugs. A systematic review was carried out using the databases of Medline, Embase and CancerLit. Results from ASCO and ESMO meetings during 2002 were also included. Eight phase II trials focused on docetaxel as a single agent. Considering collectively the 262 evaluable patients enrolled in these studies, the mean response rate (RR) was 19% (CI 95% 14-24%). Docetaxel was well tolerated with a dose-limiting myelosuppression (grade 3-4 neutropenia in 36-95% of cases). Adding fluorouracil, an RR ranging from 22% to 86% was registered, due to differences in populations studied (young vs elderly) and modalities of drug administration (continuous vs. bolus infusion). RRs for docetaxel-cisplatin combination were 56%, 37% and 36% in three phase II trials and 35% in a phase III trial. The addition of both cisplatin and fluorouracil to docetaxel did not increase toxicity. Randomized trials comparing docetaxel-cisplatin-fluorouracil with ciplatin-fluorouoracil or epirubicin-cisplatin-fluorouracil, the most commonly used regimens, are ongoing. The future results of the above phase III studies could indicate docetaxel as a key drug to improve treatment of patients with advanced gastric cancer.

Dose-finding study of docetaxel, oxaliplatin, and S-1 for patients with advanced gastric cancer

PURPOSE

To determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD), recommended dose (RD), and activity of combined docetaxel, oxaliplatin, and S-1 (DOS) chemotherapy on metastatic gastric cancer.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Docetaxel and oxaliplatin were administered intravenously on day 1 and S-1 was administered orally on days 1-14 of every 21-day cycle. The doses of docetaxel/oxaliplatin/S-1 in the phase I study were level -1A, 52.5/80/60 mg/m(2); level -1B, 52.5/80/80 mg/m(2); level 1A, 52.5/105/80 mg/m(2); level 1B, 52.5/130/80 mg/m(2); level 2A, 60/105/80 mg/m(2); level 2B, 60/130/80 mg/m(2); level 3A, 67.5/105/80 mg/m(2); level 3B, 67.5/130/80 mg/m(2); level 4A, 75/105/80 mg/m(2); level 4B, 75/130/80 mg/m(2).

RESULTS

Nine patients were enrolled. One of six patients at level 1A and two of three patients at level 1B developed dose-limiting toxicity (febrile neutropenia) during the initial two cycles. Therefore, the doses used at levels 1B and 1A were defined as the MTD and RD, respectively. All patients were evaluated for toxicity and response. Six partial responses were noted, and the overall response rate was 67%.

CONCLUSION

The RD of the DOS regimen in patients with advanced gastric cancer was docetaxel 52.5 mg/m(2) and oxaliplatin 105 mg/m(2) on day 1 and S-1 80 mg/m(2) on days 1-14 of every 21-day cycle. A phase II study using the RD is currently underway.

Phase II study of docetaxel in combination with oxaliplatin in patients with metastatic or locally advanced esophagogastric cancer previously untreated with chemotherapy for advanced disease: results of the Central European Cooperative Oncology Group Study ESGAS.1.2.001

A phase II trial was performed to determine the efficacy and tolerance of docetaxel plus oxaliplatin with hematopoietic growth factor support in previously untreated patients with advanced gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma. Thirty-five patients were entered in this trial. Treatment consisted of 3-weekly docetaxel 80 mg/m2 and oxaliplatin 100 mg/m2 both infused on day 1. A prophylactic 5-day course of human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor 5 microg/kg/day was given subcutaneously, and erythropoietin (10,000 IU subcutaneously three times per week) was administered if hemoglobin was less than 12.0 mg/dl. The confirmed overall response rate was 34%, including two complete responses (6%) and 10 partial responses (28%). Fifteen patients (43%) had stable disease. The median time to response was 2.5 months (1-3.5), the median time to progression was 8.9 (4-42.5) months and the median overall survival time was 11.6 (2.5-51) months. Hematologic toxicity was common, though World Health Organization grade 3 or 4 neutropenia occurred only in six (17%) patients and anemia in six (17%) patients, respectively. Nonhematologic adverse reactions were usually mild-to-moderate. Our data suggest that the combination of docetaxel and oxaliplatin with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and erythropoietin has a promising therapeutic index in patients with advanced gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma.

Phase I dose escalation study of docetaxel with a fixed dose of S-1 in combination chemotherapy for advanced gastric cancer

BACKGROUND

The primary objectives of this study were to estimate the maximum-tolerated dose (MTD) of docetaxel in combination with a fixed dose of S-1 and to determine the recommended dose (RD).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients with histologically proven gastric carcinoma with metastatic or locally advanced inoperable disease were eligible. Patients received intravenous docetaxel starting at 40 mg/m(2) (dose level 1), and stepwise dose increases to 50, 60, and 70 mg/m(2) were planned for successive patient cohorts (dose levels 2, 3, and 4, respectively) over 1 h on day 1 and oral S-1 administered at a fixed dose of 40 mg/m(2) twice daily on days 1-14, both drugs every 21 days.

RESULTS

A total of 13 patients were enrolled into this trial. All three patients at dose level 3 developed dose-limiting toxicities (DLT), and this level was declared to be the MTD. Hence, level 2 (docetaxel 50 mg/m(2)) was declared to be the RD for the next study. As 9 of the 13 enrolled patients responded to treatment, the overall objective response rate was 69.2% (95% CI, 44.1-94.3%). The median time to progression was 8.38 months (range 1.44-8.51) and the overall survival duration was 9.9 months (range 0.62-11.57). The most common grade 3/4 toxicity of docetaxel plus S-1 was neutropenia, which was tolerable and manageable.

CONCLUSION

This regimen showed encouraging activity and a manageable safety profile in advanced gastric carcinoma and could be used in further randomized studies.

Weekly docetaxel monotherapy for advanced gastric or esophagogastric junction cancer. Results of a phase II study in elderly patients or patients with impaired performance status

BACKGROUND

Three-weekly docetaxel is active in patients with advanced esophagogastric cancer but myelosuppression may make this schedule unsuitable for some patient groups such as elderly, pretreated, or poor performance status patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Eligible patients were chemonaive with Karnofsky index < or =70% and/or had received prior platinum-based chemotherapy. Docetaxel 35 mg/m(2) was administered on days 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, and 36 of a 49-day cycle. The primary endpoint was disease stabilization rate.

RESULTS

Of 46 patients (median age, 68.5 years; 47% > or =70 years) included, 87% had Karnofsky index < or =70 and 50% had prior treatment. The safety profile was acceptable. Principal grade 3/4 toxicities were leukopenia (9%) and fatigue (14%). Fifteen patients experienced no progression for > or =100 days (disease stabilization rate: 36%). Overall response rate was 9%; median overall survival was 7.0 months.

CONCLUSIONS

Weekly docetaxel was well tolerated and achieved disease stabilization in one-third of difficult-to-treat patients.

A phase II study of paclitaxel and capecitabine as a first-line combination chemotherapy for advanced gastric cancer

Paclitaxel and capecitabine, which have distinct mechanisms of action and toxicity profiles, have each shown high activity as single agents in gastric cancer. Synergistic interaction between these two drugs was suggested by taxane-induced upregulation of thymidine phosphorylase. We, therefore, evaluated the antitumour activity and toxicities of paclitaxel and capecitabine as first-line therapy in patients with advanced gastric cancer (AGC). Patients with histologically confirmed unresectable or metastatic AGC were treated with capecitabine 825 mg m⁻² p.o. twice daily on days 1–14 and paclitaxel 175 mg m⁻² i.v. on day 1 every 3 weeks until disease progression or unacceptable toxicities. Between June 2002 and May 2004, 45 patients, of median age 57 years (range=38–73 years), were treated with the combination of capecitabine and paclitaxel. After a median 6 cycles (range=1–9 cycles) of chemotherapy, 43 were evaluable for toxicity and response. A total of 2 patients showed complete response and 20 showed partial response making the overall response rate 48.9% (95% CI=30.3–63.5%). After a median follow-up of 42.2 months (range=31.2–54.3 months), median time to progression was 5.6 months (95% CI=3.9–7.2 months) and median overall survival was 11.3 months (95% CI=8.1–14.4 months). Grade 3 or 4 adverse events include neutropaenia (46.5% of patients), hand–foot syndrome (9.3%), arthralgia (9.3%), and asthenia (4.7%). There was no neutropaenic fever or treatment-related deaths. Paclitaxel and capecitabine combination chemotherapy was active and highly tolerable as a first-line therapy for AGC.

Docetaxel as salvage therapy in highly pretreated and drug resistant gastrointestinal carcinomas

Introduction

Despite many efforts to develop new chemotherapies for metastatic upper gastrointestinal (GI) cancer, overall prognosis continues to be fatal, particularly in gastric and pancreatic cancer. Many of these patients deserve second-or third-line treatment after failure of first-line chemotherapy. Therefore, we analysed toxicity and response rate of weekly docetaxel after failed upfront regimes in these upper GI cancer patients.

Patients and Methods

Between 2001 and 2006, 18 patients received docetaxel based regimes (35 mg/m² weekly) after informed consent. Response rates were determined using RECIST criteria or tumor progression if clinically evident. Toxicities were graded based on NCI CTC criteria (version 2). Most patients had gastric cancer (13/18). The remaining entities comprised of bilio-pancreatic cancer (5/18).

Results

Docetaxel was administered as 2nd line therapy in 28% (5/18), 3rd line therapy in 56% (10/18) and 4th or 5th line therapy in 17% (3/18). The average docetaxel dose was 38 mg/m² (Median: 35 mg/m²) once weekly. Over a treatment duration of 14.7 weeks, the average dosage was 58 gr per patient and week. Overall, docetaxel was well tolerated with only few chemotherapy-associated toxicities (Grade 3/4), including nausea (17%), polyneuropathy (17%), anorexia (11%), neutropenia (6%) and leukopenia (17%).

Docetaxel administration did not achieve any complete responses (CR) and one (5.6%) partial response (PR) was seen (1/18). In addition 5 patients (27.8%) had stable disease (SD), thus inducing a tumor control rate of 33.3% (6/18). Median progression-free survival was 2.4 months for all patients, 2.1 months in the gastric-cancer and 2.4 months in the bilio-pancreatic cancer subgroups respectively. After first docetaxel administration median survival for all patients was 4.5 months, patients with gastric cancer survived for 4.9 months whereas patients suffering from bilio-pancreatic carcinoma survived for 4.2 months. However, taken together 27% (5/18) had a remarkable overall survival of more than 2.5 years.

Discussion

In severely pretreated patients, with documented chemoresistant GI tumors, weekly docetaxel was well tolerated, presented good tumor control rate and overall survival. Therefore, this regimen may be used as salvage treatment in individual patients with upper GI cancers.

Split-dose docetaxel, cisplatin and leucovorin/fluorouracil as first-line therapy in advanced gastric cancer and adenocarcinoma of the gastroesophageal junction: results of a phase II trial

BACKGROUND

Phase II and III trials of docetaxel, cisplatin and fluorouracil (DCF) have shown superior efficacy versus cisplatin and fluorouracil alone but high rates of hematologic toxicity in advanced gastric cancer. To reduce toxicity while maintaining the efficacy of DCF, we investigated split doses of docetaxel (T), cisplatin (P), leucovorin (L) and fluorouracil (F).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Chemotherapy-naive patients with advanced gastric-/esophageal adenocarcinomas received T 50 mg/m(2) and P 50 mg/m(2) on days 1, 15 and 29 and L 500 mg/m(2) plus F 2000 mg/m(2) weekly, every 8 weeks. Because significant dose reductions to <80% became necessary in 80% of patients, the regimen was amended after the first 15 patients to T 40 mg/m(2), P 40 mg/m(2), L 200 mg/m(2) and F 2000 mg/m(2). The primary endpoint was response rate.

RESULTS

Sixty patients were enrolled: 24 had locally advanced (LA) tumors and 36 had metastatic disease. Grade 3/4 toxicities included neutropenia (22%), febrile neutropenia (5%), diarrhea (20%) and lethargy (18%). The overall response rate was 47%. Twenty-three LA patients underwent secondary surgical resection (96%); complete resection was achieved in 87%. Overall, median time to progression and overall survival were 9.4 and 17.9 months, respectively (8.1 and 15.1 months, respectively, for patients with metastatic disease).

CONCLUSION

T-PLF regimen is highly active and has a favorable toxicity profile.

A phase II open-label study of DHA-paclitaxel (Taxoprexin) by 2-h intravenous infusion in previously untreated patients with locally advanced or metastatic gastric or oesophageal adenocarcinoma

PURPOSE

Combination chemotherapy regimens can improve survival in patients with advanced gastric and oesophageal adenocarcinoma. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-paclitaxel is a novel conjugate formed by the covalent linkage of the fatty acid DHA to paclitaxel and may result in increased tumour exposure to paclitaxel without increased toxicity.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In this single arm, phase II study of DHA-paclitaxel, eligible patients with previously untreated, inoperable locally advanced or metastatic adenocarcinoma of the oesophagus, oesophago-gastric junction or stomach were treated with DHA-paclitaxel (1,100 mg/m(2)) administered by 2-h intravenous infusion every 21 days.

RESULTS

Fifty-four patients were recruited of whom 53 were evaluable for toxicity, and 48 for response. There were five confirmed partial responses (9.4%) by the RECIST criteria. The median duration of response was 87 days (range 49-97 days), the median time to progression was 84 days (95% CI 78-124 days), and median overall survival was 262 days (95% CI 205-357 days). Grade >or=3 neutropaenia occurred in 93% of patients, and febrile neutropaenia in 17% of patients.

CONCLUSIONS

DHA-paclitaxel has modest activity in patients with oesophago-gastric cancer and with haematological toxicity that is comparable to paclitaxel and docetaxel.

Docetaxel-induced Meibomian duct inflammation and blockage leading to chalazion formation

We report a 71-year male with castration-resistant metastatic prostate cancer who was treated with weekly docetaxel for 12 weeks and developed significant eye irritation and dryness during treatment. Subsequently, the patient presented with a lower eyelid mass, which on excision was demonstrated to be a chalazion. Docetaxel induced Meibomian duct inflammation and blockage is the likely cause of this presentation in a patient with no history of eyelid masses in the past.

Docetaxel in the treatment of gastric cancer

Docetaxel is part of the standard chemotherapy in breast, non-small cell lung cancer and androgen-independent metastatic prostate cancer and has recently been approved for advanced gastric cancer. It demonstrated promising single-agent efficacy in gastric cancer and was therefore investigated in different combination regimens. The combination of docetaxel with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), capecitabine, irinotecan or cisplatin demonstrated high efficacy. The triple combination of docetaxel/cisplatin and 5-FU (DCF) was investigated in randomized Phase II trials and a randomized Phase III study (TAX325). In TAX325, DCF demonstrated superiority in terms of time to tumor progression, response rate and survival against a cisplatin/5-FU combination. Docetaxel was therefore approved for advanced gastric cancer by the US FDA and the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products and will evolve as an integral part of routine combination regimens against gastric cancer. This review will discuss and interpret the different Phase II and III trials of docetaxel in gastric cancer.

Phase III study of docetaxel and cisplatin plus fluorouracil compared with cisplatin and fluorouracil as first-line therapy for advanced gastric cancer: a report of the V325 Study Group

PURPOSE

In the randomized, multinational phase II/III trial (V325) of untreated advanced gastric cancer patients, the phase II part selected docetaxel, cisplatin, and fluorouracil (DCF) over docetaxel and cisplatin for comparison against cisplatin and fluorouracil (CF; reference regimen) in the phase III part.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Advanced gastric cancer patients were randomly assigned to docetaxel 75 mg/m2 and cisplatin 75 mg/m2 (day 1) plus fluorouracil 750 mg/m2/d (days 1 to 5) every 3 weeks or cisplatin 100 mg/m2 (day 1) plus fluorouracil 1,000 mg/m2/d (days 1 to 5) every 4 weeks. The primary end point was time-to-progression (TTP).

RESULTS

In 445 randomly assigned and treated patients (DCF = 221; CF = 224), TTP was longer with DCF versus CF (32% risk reduction; log-rank P < .001). Overall survival was longer with DCF versus CF (23% risk reduction; log-rank P = .02). Two-year survival rate was 18% with DCF and 9% with CF. Overall response rate was higher with DCF (chi2 P = .01). Grade 3 to 4 treatment-related adverse events occurred in 69% (DCF) v 59% (CF) of patients. Frequent grade 3 to 4 toxicities for DCF v CF were: neutropenia (82% v 57%), stomatitis (21% v 27%), diarrhea (19% v 8%), lethargy (19% v 14%). Complicated neutropenia was more frequent with DCF than CF (29% v 12%).

CONCLUSION

Adding docetaxel to CF significantly improved TTP, survival, and response rate in gastric cancer patients, but resulted in some increase in toxicity. Incorporation of docetaxel, as in DCF or with other active drug(s), is a new therapy option for patients with untreated advanced gastric cancer.

Phase II multicenter trial of docetaxel, epirubicin, and 5-fluorouracil (DEF) in the treatment of advanced gastric cancer: a novel, safe, and active regimen

BACKGROUND

This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of docetaxel, epirubicin, and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) [DEF] as treatment for locally advanced unresectable or metastatic gastric cancer.

METHODS

Thirty-seven patients participated in the study (median age, 56 years; range, 22-73 years); Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status [PS], 0-2). Docetaxel 75 mg/m2 IV (day 1), 5-FU 500 mg/m2 IV (days 1-3), and epirubicin 50 mg/m2 IV (day 1) were administered every 3 weeks for six cycles.

RESULTS

In total, 20/37 patients (54%) completed six treatment cycles. Thirteen patients (35%; 95% confidence intervals [CI], 20% to 51%) had an objective response; 1 patient (3%) achieved a complete response and 12 patients (32%) achieved partial responses. Stable disease was observed in 7 patients (19%) and progressive disease in 5 patients (14%). Twelve patients (32%) were unevaluable. Clinical benefit (based on PS, weight gain, and analgesic consumption) was observed in 11 patients (30%). Median follow-up was 41 months (range, 26-53 months), median time to progression was 6.6 months (range, 0.5-29.2 months), median overall survival was 10.7 months (range, 7.0-14.6 months), and 1-year survival was 40%. The regimen was well tolerated. Grade 3-4 febrile neutropenia occurred in 8 patients (22%; 6% of cycles) and grade 3-4 neutropenia in 1 patient (1% of cycles). The most frequent grade 3-4 toxicities were alopecia (11% of cycles), diarrhea (4% of cycles) and vomiting (2% of cycles); grade 1-2 asthenia and fatigue occurred in 43% of cycles.

CONCLUSION

DEF is effective in the treatment of advanced gastric cancer, and has a good safety profile.

Recent developments in the systemic therapy of advanced gastroesophageal malignancies

Cancers of the upper gastrointestinal tract are a common cause of worldwide morbidity and mortality. The prognosis for patients with these cancers remains poor and only a minority of patients are cured. Systemic therapy has been used to treat patients with advanced disease but outcomes have not improved dramatically in the past few decades. Newer, more effective agents are desperately needed, and agents such as the taxanes (docetaxel and paclitaxel), irinotecan, oxaliplatin and capecitabine have recently shown some promise. In addition, molecularly targeted, non-cytotoxic therapies are being evaluated with the hope of improving the available therapeutic options. This article reviews the current clinical data regarding systemic therapy for patients with advanced upper gastrointestinal malignancies.