title: Progression-free survival and post-progression survival in patients with advanced gastric cancer treated with first-line chemotherapy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The impact of post-progression survival (PPS) on the overall survival (OS) of patients with advanced gastric cancer (AGC) has not yet been reported in detail. We analyzed prospectively collected data from AGC patients who received first-line chemotherapy including fluoropyrimidine plus platinum.
  
  
  METHODS
  We partitioned OS into progression-free survival (PFS) and PPS in each patient and analyzed correlations between OS and either PFS or PPS using the Spearman rank correlation coefficient (ρ).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 291 AGC patients met the inclusion criteria with median PFS, PPS, and OS of 5.3, 8.1, and 14.8 months, respectively. PFS and OS for each patient showed a correlation of ρ = 0.75 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.69-0.81]. PPS and OS showed a correlation of ρ = 0.87 (95% CI 0.84-0.91). According to multivariate analysis, performance status at progression, PFS of first-line chemotherapy, and use of second-line chemotherapy were independently associated with PPS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results indicate that both PFS and PPS are correlated with OS in first-line chemotherapy for AGC, suggesting the importance of reporting detailed patient characteristics and treatment course after disease progression in clinical trials of first-line chemotherapy for AGC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Gastrointestinal Oncology, National Cancer Center Hospital East, 6-5-1, Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8577, Japan. kouheis0824@yahoo.co.jp
authors.forename: Kohei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shitara
authors.forename: Keitaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsuo
authors.forename: Kei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Muro
authors.forename: Toshihiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Doi
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ohtsu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000401:mortality*; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents