Etoposide in gastric cancer.
Etoposide has modest single-agent activity (21% partial response rate) in patients with previously untreated metastatic gastric carcinoma. The use of etoposide in combination with agents like doxorubicin, cisplatin, and 5-fluorouracil with or without leucovorin has been of increasing interest to oncologists. Such combinations have been reported to produce overall response rates as high as 60% to 70%, with complete response rates as high as 20%, in patients with advanced measurable gastric carcinoma. Etoposide-containing regimens have also been used preoperatively in potentially resectable patients. In these studies, approximately 60% of treated patients may be rendered disease-free following resection. Preoperative (neoadjuvant) therapy has not yet been shown in phase III studies to be superior to surgery alone. Significant myelosuppression is the major toxicity of etoposide-based chemotherapy. Such chemotherapy deserves further evaluation in the treatment of gastric cancer.
Macdonald
J S
JS
Department of Medicine, Temple University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA 19140.
Havlin
K A
KA
D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D005047:Etoposide / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000628:therapy
D005047:Etoposide