title: Paclitaxel and weekly 24-hour infusion of 5-fluorouracil/folinic acid in advanced gastric cancer.
abstract: The current phase II study evaluates the safety and efficacy of paclitaxel (Taxol; Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, NJ) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) plus folinic acid in patients with advanced gastric cancer. Paclitaxel 175 mg/m2 was given intravenously over 3 hours on days 1 and 22; folinic acid 500 mg/m2 given intravenously over 2 hours followed by 5-FU 2,000 mg/m2 given intravenously over 24 hours was administered on days 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, and 36. Six weeks of treatment were considered one cycle, and each cycle was followed by 2 weeks off treatment. Twenty-two patients (six women and 16 men) with advanced/metastatic gastric cancer were entered on trial. All patients are evaluable for response and toxicity. None had received prior chemotherapy. Radiologically metastatic sites included gastric lymph nodes (64%), liver (36%), lungs (18%), peritoneum (18%), bone (9%), and skin (5%). No complete responses were observed. Seven patients (32%; 95% confidence interval, 12% to 52%) had a partial response. Sites of partial responses included the lungs, skin, lymph nodes, and locally advanced tumor. Twelve patients (55%) had stable disease and three (14%) had disease progression. At a median follow-up of 12 months (range, 1 to 17+ months), the median overall survival for all patients was 11 months (range, 1 to 17+ months; 95% confidence interval, 6.8 to 18.2) and the median progression-free interval was 8 months (range, 1 to 13+ months; 95% confidence interval, 4.7 to 9.8). Severe nonhematologic toxicities were alopecia (45%), fever/infection (9%), diarrhea (5%), and nausea/vomiting (5%). Grade 3/4 neutropenia occurred in three patients (14%). In summary, paclitaxel given every 3 weeks in combination with once-weekly, 24-hour continuous infusions of 5-FU/folinic acid is active in advanced gastric cancer and appears to achieve response rates comparable to regimens like etoposide/folinic acid/5-FU or 5-FU/doxorubicin/methotrexate. The toxicity of this new combination is moderate and allows treatment in an outpatient setting. Ongoing studies are evaluating the activity of paclitaxel combined with weekly continuous infusions of 5-FU/folinic acid with or without cisplatin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology/Oncology/Immunology, Eberhard-Karls-University Medical Center II, Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bokemeyer
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Hartmann
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Lampe
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Clemens
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Quietzsch
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Forkmann
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kanz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use* / Q000633:toxicity; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity; D006801:Humans; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D002955:Leucovorin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017239:Paclitaxel / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D017239:Paclitaxel; D002955:Leucovorin; D005472:Fluorouracil