title: Is the combination of 5-fluorouracil and folinic acid effective in advanced gastric carcinoma? Results of a pilot study and review of the literature.
abstract: The main purpose of this trial was to investigate the activity of a less toxic regimen in patients with advanced gastric carcinoma regarding response rate and survival. We report on a pilot study of 20 patients treated with the combination of 5-fluorouracil and folinic acid. 5-fluorouracil was administered at a daily dose of 450 mg/m2 followed by folinic acid 200 mg/m2 for four consecutive days every four weeks. The overall response rate was 15% with one complete and two partial responders. The median duration of response was 11, 10 and 10 months respectively. The median survival of all patients was 9 months. Toxicity was mild and consisted primarily of diarrhea. Stomatitis and myelosuppression occurred rarely. In conclusion, the combination of 5-fluorouracil and folinic acid has moderate activity in gastric cancer, while median survival appears similar to the other more intensive regimens. The combination is very well tolerated with minimal toxicity. A detailed review of the literature regarding the effectiveness of the above regimens on response rate, overall survival and toxicity is also presented.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Ioannina, Greece.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pavlidis
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nicolaides
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Klouvas
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Briassoulis
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D002955:Leucovorin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality
chemical_list: D002955:Leucovorin; D005472:Fluorouracil