title: Capecitabine with radiation is an effective adjuvant therapy in gastric cancers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the outcome of patients who received concurrent capecitabine (Xeloda) and radiation (XRT) compared to the established concurrent 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) with radiation (5FU-RT) and fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy alone as adjuvant treatment in gastric cancers.
  
  
  METHODS
  All patients with gastric cancers who received adjuvant treatment at the National Cancer Centre Singapore between 1996 and 2006 were reviewed. Treatment outcomes of patients who received XRT were compared with those who had 5FU-RT or chemotherapy alone as adjuvant therapy for gastric cancers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 108 patients were reviewed. Median age at diagnosis was 60. The majority of the patients (64.8%) had advanced stage III and IV disease (with no distant metastasis). All except 4 patients had D2 gastrectomy. Twenty one patients (19.4%) had positive surgical resection margins. Thirty three patients received XRT compared with 52 who had 5FU-RT and 23 who received chemotherapy alone. For the patients in the chemotherapy-only group, all had fluoropyrimidine-based therapy, with added cisplatin in 7 patients and epirubicin in 2 patients. Median recurrence-free survival was longer for the XRT group (52 mo) compared to the 5FU-RT (35 mo) and chemotherapy-only groups (25 mo) (P = 0.48). The patients in the XRT group achieved similar median overall survival (53 mo) as the 5FU-RT (54 mo) and the chemotherapy-only groups (44 mo) (P = 0.5).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Capecitabine with concurrent radiation was as effective as concurrent 5FU with radiation or fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy alone when used as adjuvant treatment in patients with gastric cancers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Centre Singapore, 11 Hospital Drive, Singapore. tham.c.k@nccs.com.sg
authors.forename: Chee Kian
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Tham
authors.forename: Su Pin
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Choo
authors.forename: Donald Yew Hee
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Poon
authors.forename: Han Chong
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Toh
authors.forename: Simon Yew Kuang
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Ong
authors.forename: Sze Huey
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Michael Lian Chek
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Kian Fong
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Foo
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000069287:Capecitabine; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003841:Deoxycytidine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; D003841:Deoxycytidine; D000069287:Capecitabine; D005472:Fluorouracil