title: The efficacy of paclitaxel and cisplatin combination chemotherapy for the treatment of metastatic or recurrent gastric cancer: a multicenter phase II study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although many treatments for advanced gastric cancer have been developed, only poor treatment results have generally been obtained. We performed a prospective study on the combination chemotherapy of paclitaxel and cisplatin (PC). The primary objectives of the study were elucidating the disease response and evaluating the drug regimen's safety.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with metastatic or recurrent gastric cancer received intravenous paclitaxel 175 mg/m2, and cisplatin 70 mg/m2 on day 1. This cycle was repeated every 3 weeks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  From January 2000 to March 2004, 37 patients from 3 different hospitals were enrolled in this study. A total of 135 treatment cycles (median: 3 cycles) were administered. The responses were evaluable in 34 patients; 24 patients received this regimen as their first-line treatment for metastatic cancer and the other patients received it as their second-line treatment for recurrent cancer. The objective response rate (RR) was 26.5% (95% CI: 11.7-41.3) with two complete responses, and stable disease was observed in 41.1% of the patients. Importantly, an RR of 33.3% (95% CI: 0.6-66.0) was achieved for the eight patients who received this regimen as a first-line treatment. The median follow up duration was 14 months for all the patients, and the median time to progression was 6 months (95% CI: 1.9-10.2). The overall survival time was 8.9 months (95% CI: 7.0-11.0) with a 1-year survival rate of 18.7% (95% CI: 5.6-31.8). The most common toxicity was neutropenia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PC exhibited promising activity against gastric cancer for the previously untreated patients as a first-line treatment with an acceptable toxicity profile.
authors.affiliation: Division of Oncology-Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yeungnam University College of Medicine, Daegu, Korea.
authors.forename: Sang Joon
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Sung Ho
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Chun
authors.forename: Kyeong Ok
authors.initials: KO
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Min Kyoung
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Kyung Hee
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Myung Soo
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Hyun
authors.forename: Sung Hwa
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Bae
authors.forename: Hun Mo
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Ryoo
authors.forename: Young Rok
authors.initials: YR
authors.lastname: Do
authors.forename: Ki Young
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: Hong Suk
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Song
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis / Q000188:drug therapy; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000188:drug therapy*; D017239:Paclitaxel / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012449:Safety; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000556:secondary*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D017239:Paclitaxel; D002945:Cisplatin