title: [Weekly irinotecan plus capecitabine as a second-line chemotherapy for advanced gastric cancer: an analysis of 21 cases].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the efficacy and adverse effects of weekly irinotecan combined with capecitabine as a second-line chemotherapy for treatment of advanced gastric cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-one patients with advanced gastric cancer who had failed first-line therapy received irinotecan on days 1 and 8 plus capecitabine on days 1-14 for a 21-day cycle. Each patient was treated for at least two cycles and evaluated 4 weeks later for the responses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 21 patients, none showed complete remission (CR), 5 (23.8%) showed partial remission (PR), 6 (28.6%) showed stable disease (SD) and 10 (47.6%) showed progressive disease (PD). The overall response rate was 23.8%, and 11 patients (52.4%) benefited (CR+PR+SD) from the clinical therapy, with a mean time to tumor progression of 3.61±0.97 months. The main adverse effects of this regimen included myelosuppression, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The regimen of weekly irinotecan plus capecitabine has a definite effect for treatment of advanced gastric cancer with tolerable toxicity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Affiliated Hospital of Guilin Medical University, Guilin 541001, China. liu-ying1978@163.com
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Ma-fei
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Mei-qing
authors.initials: MQ
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Cui-mei
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Dong
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D000328:Adult; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002166:Camptothecin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D000069287:Capecitabine; D003841:Deoxycytidine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D006801:Humans; D000077146:Irinotecan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D003841:Deoxycytidine; D000069287:Capecitabine; D000077146:Irinotecan; D005472:Fluorouracil; D002166:Camptothecin