title: Weekly paclitaxel as second-line chemotherapy in Japanese patients with advanced gastric cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The use of weekly paclitaxel (wPTX) has become a common practice as second-line chemotherapy in Japanese patients with advanced gastric cancer. The aim of the present study was to assess the efficacy of wPTX.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively analyzed data from 229 patients with advanced gastric cancer who received wPTX as second-line chemotherapy between March 2001 and January 2011 at our hospital. Patients received PTX at a dose of 80 mg/m(2) on days 1, 8, 15 of a 28-day cycle. Response and survival were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall response rate was 12.5% in 96 patients who had measurable lesions that were assessable for response. In 107 patients who had malignant ascites, the response rate for therapy of ascites was 38.3%. The median progression-free survival was 3.6 months, and the median overall survival was 6.3 months. Multivariate analysis revealed that the number of metastatic sites [hazard ratio (HR)=1.56, p=0.009], bone metastasis (HR=2.11, p=0.006), ascites (HR 1.75, p<0.001), and the presence of the primary lesion (HR=1.77, p<0.001) were independent prognostic factors of poor survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  wPTX is an effective regimen for advanced gastric cancer refractory to first-line chemotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology Division, National Cancer Center Hospital, 5-1-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0045, Japan. siwasa@ncc.go.jp.
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kadokura
authors.forename: Satoru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Iwasa
authors.forename: Yoshitaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Honma
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hamaguchi
authors.forename: Yasuhide
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Nobuyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Enomoto
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shimada
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001201:Ascites / Q000188:drug therapy; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D017239:Paclitaxel / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D010534:Peritoneal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000556:secondary; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D017239:Paclitaxel
keywords: Gastric cancer; paclitaxel; second-line therapy