title: Evaluation of the toxicity of the combined treatment of chemoradiotherapy, according to the scheme of Macdonald, after radical surgery in patients diagnosed of gastric cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In this study we evaluated the acute toxicity of the combined treatment with chemoradiotherapy, according to the scheme of McDonald et al, in patients diagnosed with gastric cancer, after radical curative surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  From July 2001 to December 2005, a total of 24 patients, with diagnosis of adenocarcinoma of the stomach or adenocarcinoma of the gastroesophageal junction, who were operated with total or subtotal gastrectomy with free resection margins, were treated at our service with a combined scheme of adjuvant chemoradiotherapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Grade 3 toxicity or higher appeared in three patients (12%) and grade 2 in five of the twenty-four patients (21%). Two patients (8%) needed to suspend treatment before the scheduled end date of treatment due to acute toxicity. No acute toxicity of cardiological, hepatic or renal nature was registered, and the most frequent toxicity was the gastrointestinal toxicity (detected in the 79% of the patients).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Combined treatment with chemoradiotherapy, according to the scheme of Macdonald, in diagnosed patients with gastric cancer, after radical curative surgery is a well tolerated treatment, with a low degree of acute toxicity, thus the treatment compliance is not difficult.
authors.affiliation: Radiotherapy Oncology Service, Sant Joan University Hospital, Alicante, Spain.
authors.forename: Vicente
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Tormo Ferrero
authors.forename: Francisco José
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Andreu Martínez
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cardenal Macía
authors.forename: Almudena
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pomares Arias
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000628:therapy*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D019583:Dose Fractionation, Radiation; D005260:Female; D005743:Gastrectomy; D006801:Humans; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents