title: Dipyridamole combination chemotherapy can be used safely in treating gastric cancer patients.
abstract: The feasibility of a combined chemotherapy using dipyridamole (DP) with adriamycin (ADM) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) was investigated. First, the chemosensitivity of gastric cancer tissues was determined by the succinate dehydrogenase inhibition test, which showed sensitivity to ADM and 5-FU is increased by DP. Next, a clinical trial of combined therapy of DP, ADM and 5-FU, as a post-operative adjuvant chemotherapy for gastric cancer patients, was performed. DP (50 mg) was given as a 1-h i.v. infusion, and ADM (20 mg) was given as a single i.v. injection. This treatment was started on post-operative day 10, and was repeated every 2 weeks. Simultaneously with these treatments, DP (300 mg) and 5-FU (150 mg) were administered post-operatively daily. A total of 63 courses of therapy in nine patients were performed. The adverse effects related to the DP infusion were flushing, headache, nausea and upper abdominal discomfort, all of a low grade. DP did not appear to alter the toxicity of ADM and 5-FU, and no severe adverse effect was noted for this combination therapy. The pharmacokinetics of DP were also investigated in five patients. The mean plasma concentration of DP increased 4.41 micrograms/ml and remained above 0.25 microgram/ml for over 6 h. This combination chemotherapy appears to be safe and may be useful clinically in treating cancer.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Center of Kyushu University Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sakaguchi
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Maehara
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Emi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kusumoto
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kohnoe
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sugimachi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004176:Dipyridamole / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D004176:Dipyridamole; D004317:Doxorubicin; D005472:Fluorouracil