Postoperative chemotherapy in elderly patients with advanced gastric cancer

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The definitive efficacy of postoperative chemotherapy in elderly patients with advanced gastric cancer has not been established. The aim of this study is to evaluate prognosis in elderly patients with advanced gastric cancer and the effect of postoperative chemotherapy on prognosis. METHODOLOGY: Fifty-three patients, 75 years of age or older who underwent curative surgery for advanced gastric cancer were divided into 14 patients with postoperative chemotherapy (chemotherapy group) and 39 patients without postoperative chemotherapy (control group). Chemotherapy regimens were as follows: oral 5-FU alone (n = 11), intravenous mitomycin plus 5-FU: MF (n = 2), and MF plus oral 5-FU (n = 1). No prior chemotherapy or radiation was given. RESULTS: There were no significant differences of clinical and pathological backgrounds between the two groups. The rate of death due to recurrent carcinoma was 50.0% in the chemotherapy group and 43.6% in the control group, the difference being insignificant. Although the median survival time of the chemotherapy group (40.4 months) was longer than in the control group (31.7 months), a significant difference did not exist between the groups. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates did not significantly differ between the chemotherapy group versus the control group, 85.7% versus 82.1%, 42.9% versus 51.3%, and 35.7% versus 46.2%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative chemotherapy did not contribute to prolong survival in elderly patients with advanced gastric cancer mainly because the incidence of recurrent carcinoma was not reduced.     

5-fluorouracil, mitomycin-C, and polysaccharide-K adjuvant chemoimmunotherapy for locally advanced gastric cancer: the prognostic significance of frequent perineural invasion

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Although adjuvant chemotherapy has demonstrated small but significant survival benefit in locally advanced gastric cancer in several meta-analyses, optimal chemotherapy regimen remains to be determined. METHODOLOGY: We retrospectively analyzed the survival of 207 gastric cancer patients (stage IB: 19, II: 65, IIIA: 58, IIIB: 28, IV: 37) who underwent 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), mitomycin-C (MMC), and polysaccharide-K (PSK) chemoimmunotherapy (CITX) after curative resection (FM group). The survival of FM group was compared with that of historical control cohort of 103 patients with almost identical stage distribution who received 5-FU and doxorubicin-based chemotherapy (FA group). RESULTS: Five-year disease-free survival and overall survival (OS) of FM group were 58.7% and 59.1%, respectively. Frequent perineural invasion was significantly associated with poor OS (p = 0.01) in multivariate analysis. There was no statistically significant difference in 5-year OS (59.1% vs. 56.2%, p = 0.637) between FM and FA groups. FM group showed superior 5-year OS (84.4% vs. 67.6%, p = 0.019) compared with FA group in stage IB or II patients without significant difference (p = 0.222) in stage IIIA to IV. CONCLUSIONS: 5-FU, MMC, and PSK CITX is as effective as 5-FU and doxorubicin-based chemotherapy. Moreover, frequent perineural invasion seems to be an important poor prognostic factor.     

A comparative study of pancreatectomy and pancreas-preserving gastrectomy in advanced gastric carcinomas

BACKGROUND/AIMS: In patients with advanced gastric carcinoma (tumor infiltrating beyond submucosal layer), distal pancreatectomy has been frequently performed simultaneously with gastrectomy for complete removal of the lymph nodes along the splenic artery. However, the possibility of a negative impact has also been reported. To evaluate the effects of distal pancreatectomy with gastrectomy for patients with advanced gastric cancer, we retrospectively analyzed 84 patients who had proximal- or middle-third advanced gastric cancer resected in an institution in Taiwan. METHODOLOGY: From 1988 to 1998, 46 patients who underwent gastrectomy with distal pancreatectomy (DP group) and 38 patients who had pancreas-preserving gastrectomy (PS group) for advanced gastric cancer were reviewed. The clinicopathological details and survival rates were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: In terms of clinicopathological factors and operative mortality, there were no significantly statistical differences between the patients who did and did not undergo distal pancreatectomy. The cumulative 5-year survival rate for the DP group was 35.6%, whereas the 5-year survival rate for the PS group was 42.4% (P=0.6224). In contrast, the operative morbidity was significantly higher in patients who had distal pancreatectomy (P=0.008). CONCLUSIONS: Since distal pancreatectomy does not benefit patients with advanced gastric cancer, this procedure should not be regarded as routine in a radical resection.     

Clinical significance of preoperative regional intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy for advanced gastric cancer

AIM: Preoperative intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy could increase the radical resection rate of advanced gastric cancer, but its effect on the long-term survival has not been assessed. This study was designed to evaluate the clinical significance of preoperative intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy for advanced gastric cancer. METHODS: Clinicopathological data of 91 patients who underwent curative resection for advanced gastric cancer were collected. Among them, 37 patients undertaken preoperative intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy were used as the interventional chemotherapy group, and the remaining 54 patients as the control group. Eleven factors including clinicopathological variables, treatment procedures and molecular biological makers that might contribute to the long-term survival rate were analyzed using Cox multivariate regression analysis. RESULTS: The 5-year survival rate was 52.5% and 39.8%, respectively, for the interventional group and the control group (P<0.05). Cox multivariate regression analysis revealed that the TNM stage (P<0.001), preoperative intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy (P = 0.029) and growth pattern (P = 0.042) were the independent factors for the long-term survival of patients with advanced gastric cancer. CONCLUSION: Preoperative intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy plays an important role in improving the prognosis of advanced gastric cancer.     

Pre-operative radiochemotherapy of locally advanced rectal cancer

AIM. To evaluate results of pre-operative radiochemotherapy followed by surgery for 15 patients with locally advanced un-resectable rectal cancer.METHODS: 15 patients with advanced non-resectable rectal cancer were treated with pre-operative irriadiation of 40-46Gy plus concomitant chemotherapy (5-FU+LV and 5‘-DFuR) (RCS group). For comparison, 27 similar patients,treated by preoperative radiotherapy (40-50Gy) plus surgery were served as control (RS group).RESULTS: No radiochemotherapy or radiotherapy was interrupted and then was delayed because of toxicities in both groups. The radical resectability rate was 73.3% in the RCS group and 37.0% (P=0.024) in RS group. Sphincter preservation rates were 26.6% and 3.7% respectively(P=0.028). Sphincter preservation rates of lower rectal cancer were 27.3% and 0.0% respectively (P=0.014). Responserates of RCS and RS groups were 46.7 % and 18.5 %(P=0.053). The tumor downstage rates were 8(53.3%)and 9 (33.3%) in these groups (P=0.206). The 3-year overall survival rates were 66.7% and 55.6% (P=0.485), and the disease free survival rates were 40.1% and 33.2%(P=0.663). The 3-year local recurrent rates were 26.7% and 48.1% (P=0.174). No obvious late effects were found in either groups.CONCLUSION: High resectability is possible following preoperative radiochemotherapy and can have more sphincters preserved. It is important to improve the quality of the patients‘ life even without increasing the survival or local control rates. Preoperative radiotherapy with concomitant full course chemotherapy (5-Fu+LV and 5‘-DFuR) is effective and safe.     

Folinic acid, 5-fluorouracil and etoposide after curative resection for gastric cancer

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The aim of this study was to evaluate the survival benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy with etoposide, leucovorin and 5-fluorouracil (ELF) in gastric cancer patients undergoing previous surgery with a curative intent. METHODOLOGY: The clinical outcome of 49 patients with resected gastric cancer treated with adjuvant chemotherapy was compared with that of 85 surgically treated historical controls who did not receive any adjuvant treatment. The chemotherapy regimen consisted of six cycles of daily 1-hour intravenous infusions of folinic acid 100 mg/m2 and 5-FU 400 mg/ m2, and a 2-hour infusion of etoposide 100 mg/m2, for three days every 28 days. RESULTS: The 5-year relapse-free survival was 32% in the adjuvant arm and 27% in the control arm (p = 0.6). At the last follow-up, there were 32 deaths in the adjuvant arm and 60 in the control arm. The median duration of survival was respectively 23 and 19 months, and the 5-year survival rates were 34% and 29% (p = 0.4). The chemotherapy was well tolerated. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that ELF adjuvant treatment is a safe and well tolerable combination chemotherapy in patients with resected gastric cancer, but it does not seem to improve prognosis in comparison with historical controls.     

Pancreaticoduodenectomy for advanced gastric cancer with pancreaticoduodenal region involvement

AIM：To characterize the factors of the improved survival following combined pancreaticoduodenectomy（PD） and gastrectomy for the treatment of advanced gastric cancer with pancreaticoduodenal region involvement.
METHODS：From 1995 to 2004,53 patients with primary gastric cancer were diagnosed with synchronous（n = 44） or metachronous（n = 9） pancreaticoduodenal region involvement.Of these,17 patients（32%） underwent total gastrectomy（TG） or distal subtotal gastrectomy（SG） combined with PD simultaneously.The preoperative demographic,clinical information,clinicopathologic features and the surgical results of these 17 patients were considered as factors influencing survival and were analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method with log-rank comparison.
RESULTS：The actual 1-and 3-year survival rates of these 17 patients after resection were 77% and 34%,respectively,and three patients survived for more than 5 years after surgery.The tumor-free resection margin（P = 0.0174） and a well-differentiated histologic type（P = 0.0011） were significant prognostic factors on univariate analysis.No mortality occurred within one mo after operation,postoperative weight loss of different degree was present in all the patients with TG and 12 cases had other complications.There were 9（53%） cases of recurrence in 5-48 mo after operation.The survival rate in the palliative and explorative group was significantly（P = 0.0064） lower than in the combined PD group.
CONCLUSION： Judicious use of en bloc PD and gastrectomy and strictly preventing postoperative complications may improve the long-term survival for advanced gastric cancer patients with pancreaticoduodenal region involvement. Well-differentiated histology and negative resection margin are the most important predictors of long survival.     

健脾为基础的复方辨证治疗对胃癌根治术后无病生存期的影响

目的:研究健脾为基础的中药复方辨证治疗对胃癌根治术后患者无病生存期(DFS)的影响.方法:采用非随机同期对照研究的方法,将胃癌根治术后病例分别纳入中药组(中药+化疗)和对照组(单纯化疗),采用Kaplan-Meier法和Cox比例风险模型对影响胃癌根治术后DFS的相关影响因素进行单因素和多因素分析,并根据临床病理分期进...     

Efficacy of extended lymphadenectomy in the noncurative gastrectomy for advanced gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: We retrospectively analyzed clinicopathologic data on 83 patients with advanced gastric cancer who underwent noncurative gastrectomy, with respect to the relation between the extent of lymphadenectomy and survival benefit. METHODOLOGY: These 83 patients were divided into 44 patients with limited or simple lymph node dissection (D0 in 14 and D1 in 30: Group A) and 39 patients with extended lymph node dissection (D2: Group B). RESULTS: The 1-year survival rate in Group B (82.1%) was significantly higher than in Group A (49.0%). However, the 3-year and 5-year survival rates did not significantly differ between Group A versus Group B, 39.7% versus 25.7% and 39.7% versus 20.5%, respectively. Median survival time after surgery with and without distant metastasis in Group B (21.5 months) was longer than in Group A (16.4 months), although not significant. CONCLUSIONS: While gastrectomy with extended lymphadenectomy did not contribute to improve long-term survival in patients with noncurable advanced gastric cancer, the utility of extended lymph node dissections may be relevant to improved locoregional control, at least in the prognosis within 1 year after surgery. Not only extended lymphadenectomy but also aggressive chemotherapy may be needed to improve the long-term survival for such patients.     

A combination chemotherapy of 5-fluorouracil and cisplatin against advanced gastric cancer

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study was designed to clarify the effects of treatment and toxicity between 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) plus bolus infusion of Cisplatin (CDDP) and 5-FU plus continuous infusion of low-dose CDDP in advanced gastric cancer. METHODOLOGY: Seventy-three patients with advanced gastric cancer were enrolled in this study to compare the antitumor effect and toxicity between the bolus infusion of CDDP and the continuous infusion of low-dose CDDP in combination with the continuous infusion of 5-FU. Sixty-five eligible patients were divided into two groups: group A: curative resection cases; and, group B: non-curative, recurrent or inoperable cases. Patients were classified into two arms in each group. One arm of treatment regimen is 5-FU and bolus infusion of CDDP (A-1, B-1) and the other arm is 5-FU and continuous infusion of low-dose CDDP (A-2, B-2). RESULTS: Response rates were 9.1% and 38.5% in arm B-1 and arm B-2, respectively, although the difference between the two was not at a significant level. Frequently observed toxicities during the treatment were gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and anorexia. The incidence of side effects in arm A-2 and arm B-2 was almost the same as that in arm A-1 and arm B-1. CONCLUSIONS: These results revealed that there was no advantage of low-dose continuous infusion of CDDP with 5-FU in terms of response rate and clinical toxicity in our present study.     

内镜黏膜下剥离术治疗早期胃印戒细胞癌的疗效及非治愈性切除的危险因素分析

目的探讨内镜黏膜下剥离术(ESD)治疗早期胃印戒细胞癌(SRCC)的疗效及预后,并探讨非治愈性切除的危险因素。方法回顾性分析2012年10月至2020年10月在南京大学医学院附属鼓楼医院、南京医科大学附属无锡人民医院、泰州市人民医院、南京市高淳人民医院行ESD治疗的62例早期胃SRCC患者的临床病理资料,根据术后病理结果分为治愈性切除组34例和非治愈性切除组28例,收集患者性别、年龄、肿瘤大小及部位、大体分型、浸润深度、切缘、溃疡及术后随访情况等进行分析。结果整块切除率为100%(n=62),完全切除率为83.9%(n=52),治愈性切除率为54.8%(n=34)。术中穿孔率为1.6%(n=1),迟发出血率为1.6%(n=1)。28例非治愈性切除的患者中,20例追加了外科手术,死亡2例,其中1例在外科手术后死于术后出血,另1例在外科手术后死于术后感染。8例非治愈性切除的患者没有追加外科手术,其中2例患者死于淋巴结转移。ESD治愈性切除组的5年生存率明显高于ESD非治愈性切除组,组间差异有统计学意义(P=0.023)。肿瘤直径>20 mm(OR=59.73,95%CI=9.94~358.87,P<0.001)及溃疡是(OR=24.49,95%CI=2.11~284.72,P=0.011)是早期胃SRCC非治愈性切除的独立危险因素。结论达到内镜下治愈性切除标准的早期胃SRCC患者,预后明显好于非治愈性切除的患者。肿瘤直径>20 mm和溃疡为早期胃SRCC非治愈性切除的独立危险因素。     

Postoperative complications following gastrectomy for gastric cancer during the last decade

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The reduction in the incidence of severe postoperative complications has resulted in a significant increase in the survival of patients with gastric cancer. METHODOLOGY: A total of 879 patients undergoing gastrectomy for gastric cancer during the last decade were retrospectively evaluated for postoperative complications, mortality and associated risk factors. RESULTS: The most frequent complications were anastomotic leakage (3.0%) and wound infection (2.8%) followed by the development of pancreatic fistulae (2.2%) and intra-abdominal abscesses (1.5%). Multiple logistic regression analysis identified various independent risk factors including the extent of lymph node dissection (D1D2 vs. D3) for anastomotic leakage (RR 3.6, P<0.05), splenectomy or distal pancreatosplenectomy for pancreatic fistulae (RR 27.4, P<0.0001) and operative time (360 min < or =) for intra-abdominal abscess (RR 4.8, P<0.05). In total, fourteen patients (1.6%, n=879) died from postoperative complications, with 5 patients dying following non-curative gastrectomy (5.6%, n=90). The complications most associated with death were anastomotic leakage (4 patients) and pneumonia (2 patients). CONCLUSIONS: In view of the potential risk of complications, we should carefully evaluate the indications for aggressive lymph node dissection and/or combined resection of neighboring organs as well as non-curative gastrectomy.     

Surgical treatment and prognosis of gastric cancer in 2,613 patients

AIM: To analyze the factors influencing the prognosis of patients with gastric cancer after surgical treatment, in order to optimize the surgical procedures.METHODS: A retrospective study of 2 613 consecutive patients with gastric cancer was performed. Of these patients, 2 301 (88.1%) received operations; 196 explorative laparotorny (EL), 130 by-pass procedure (BPP), and 1 975 surgical resection of the tumors (891 palliative resection and 1 084 curative resection). The survival rate was calculated by theactuarial life table method, and the prognostic factors were evaluated using the Cox regression proportional hazard model.RESULTS: Of the patients, 2 450 (93.8%) were followed-up.The median survival period was 4.6 mo for patients without operation, 5.2 mo for EL, 6.4 mo for BPP, and 15.2 mo for palliative resection (P = 0.0001). Of the patients with surgical resection of the tumors, the overall 1, 3 and 5-yearsurvival rates after were 82.7%, 46.3% and 31.1%,respectively, with the 5-year survival rate being 51.2% in patients with curative resection, and 7.8% for those with palliative resection. The 5-year survival rate was 32.5% for patients with total gastrectorny, and 28.3% for those with total gastrectomy plus resection of the adjacent organs. The factors that independently correlated with poor survival included advanced stage, upper third location, palliative resection, poor differentiation, type IV of Borrman nclassification, tumor metastasis (N3), tumor invasion into the serosa and contiguous structure, proximal subtotal gastrectomy for upper third carcinoma and D1 lymphadenectomy aftercurative treatment.CONCLUSION: The primary lesion should be resected as long as the local condition permitted for stage III and IV tumors, in order to prolong the patients‘ survival and improve their quality of life after operation. Total gastrectomy is indicated for carcinomas in the cardia and fundus, and gastric cancer involving the adjacent organs without distant metastasis requires gastrectomy with resection of the involved organs.     

Hepatic resection followed by IFN-alpha and 5-FU for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma with tumor thrombus in the major portal branch

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) invading the major branches of the portal vein (Vp3) is extremely poor. Recently, we reported the efficacy of combination therapy with subcutaneous interferon (IFN)-alpha and intra-arterial 5-FU for intractable HCC with Vp3. In this study, this therapy was applied for resectable advanced HCC (Vp3) as a postoperative adjuvant. METHODOLOGY: Patients with HCC and tumor thrombi either in the major or first branch of portal vein were included (n=30). Fifteen consecutive patients with HCC and Vp3 were treated with at least 3 cycles of a combination therapy consisting of continuous arterial infusion of 5-FU (300 mg/mm3/day, 5 days/week, for the initial 2 weeks) and subcutaneous injection of IFN (5 MIU, 3 times/week, 4 weeks) as a postoperative adjuvant therapy following hepatic resection. Another 15 patients who underwent hepatic resection with no IFN/5-FU chemotherapy acted as controls. RESULTS: The results were as follows in the IFN/5-FU adjuvant treatment group; disease-free survival (n=11, 5-55 months), survival with recurrence (n=2, 9, 48 months), cancer death (n=1, 18 months), death from other causes but no recurrence (n=l, 22 months). The 1-year survival rate was 100% in patients treated with IFN/5-FU, and 41% in those without IFN/5-FU historical controls (n=15). There was a significant difference in disease-free and overall survival rates between the two groups (p = 0.0033 and 0.0031). CONCLUSIONS: Combination therapy with subcutaneous IFN and intra-arterial perfusion of 5-FU seems to be a promising postoperative adjuvant treatment modality for resectable HCC with Vp3.     

Improvement of the prognosis of gastric cancer with extensive serosal invasion using left upper abdominal evisceration

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The prognosis of gastric cancer patients with serosal invasion is very poor. In this study, the effectiveness of the LUAE (left upper abdominal evisceration) procedure for these patients was evaluated retrospectively. METHODOLOGY: Thirty-seven gastric cancer patients who had serosal invasion but no massive peritoneal metastasis or hepatic metastasis, and underwent LUAE, were enrolled in this study (LUAE group). As a control, 66 gastric cancer patients who had the same disease conditions as the LUAE group, and underwent conventional total gastrectomy with the combined resection of the pancreatic body and tail and spleen (TPS group), were also investigated. RESULTS: The survival rate (5-year, 42.2%) of the LUAE group was significantly better than that (5-year, 21.2%) of the TPS group (P = 0.009). Although D4 super-extended lymphadenectomy and intraperitoneal chemotherapy during surgery was performed more frequently in the LUAE group than those in the TPS group, multivariate analysis demonstrated that the LUAE procedure was a better independent prognostic factor. CONCLUSIONS: The LUAE procedure in combination with D4 super-extended lymphadenectomy and intraperitoneal chemotherapy improved the prognosis of gastric cancer patients with extensive serosal invasion.     

Evaluation of surgical treatment for patients with gastric cancer who are over 80 years of age.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The aim of this study is to evaluate whether super-elderly patients (> or = 80) with gastric cancer may be appropriate candidates for an R2/R3 (extended) gastrectomy. METHODOLOGY: The study evaluated 1334 patients with gastric cancer treated over the past 15 years, who were over 40 years of age. They were divided into three groups according to age: Super-elderly patients who were over 80 (group A; n=60), those aged 60-79 (group B; n=703) and those aged 40-59 (group C; n=571). RESULTS: The incidence of concomitant systemic disorders was higher in group A than in either group B or group C (65% vs. 53.2% vs. 34%) (p<0.0001). The resection rates were similar (88.3% vs. 93.7% vs. 96.1%), however, the incidence of a total gastrectomy, an R2/R3 dissection, or a combined resection of other organs was much lower in group A than those in the other groups (p<0.005). The survival curves of patients after a curative resection were not significant, however, 34.4% of the super-elderly patients died of other causes and the 5-year survival rates including other cause of death were poorer in groups A and B than those in group C (p<0.01). In group A, patients receiving an R2/R3 dissection had a two-fold higher incidence of post-operative complications over those receiving an R0/R1 (regional) dissection, however, they also had a better prognosis whether or not other causes of death were considered. CONCLUSIONS: We, therefore, conclude that an R2/R3 gastrectomy is basically appropriate for super-elderly patients, as long as they demonstrate a good risk. However, the short-term results should also be considered.     

Oral Xeloda plus bi-platinu two-way combined chemotherapy in treatment of advanced gastrointestinal malignancies

AIM: To compare the effect, adverse events, cost-effectiveness and dose intensity (DI) of oral Xeloda vs calcium folinate (CF)/5-FU combination chemotherapy in patients with advanced gastrointestinal malignancies, both combined with bi-platinu two-way chemotherapy. METHODS: A total of 131 patients were enrolled and randomly selected to receive either oral Xeloda (X group) or CF/5-FU (control group). Oral Xeloda 1 000 mg/m2 was administered twice daily from d 1 to 14 in X group, while CF 200 mg/m2 was taken as a 2-h intravenous infusion followed by 5-FU 600 mg/m2 intravenously for 4-6 h on d 1-5 in control group. Cisplatin and oxaliplatin were administered in the same way to both the groups: cisplatin 60-80 mg/m2 by hyperthermic intraperitoneal administration, and oxaliplatin 130 mg/m2 intravenously for 2 h on d 1. All the drugs were recycled every 21 d, with at least two cycles. Pyridoxine 50 mg was given t.i.d. orally for prophylaxis of the hand-foot syndrome (HFS). Then the effect, adverse events, cost-effectiveness and DI of the two groups were evaluated. RESULTS: Hundred and fourteen cases (87.0%) finished more than two chemotherapy cycles. The overall response rate of them was 52.5% (X group) and 42.4% (control group) respectively. Tumor progression time (TTP) was 7.35 mo vs 5.95 mo, and 1-year survival rate was 53.1% vs 44.5%. There was a remarkable statistical significance of TTP and 1-year survival between the two groups. The main Xeloda-related adverse events were myelosuppression, gastrointestinal toxicity, neurotoxicity and HFS, which were mild and well tolerable. Therefore, no patients withdrew from the study due to side effects before two chemotherapy cycles were finished. Both groups finished pre-arranged DI and the relative DI was nearly 1.0. The average cost for 1 patient in one cycle was Y9 137.35 (X group) and Y8 961.72 (control group), or US $1100.89 in X group and $1 079.73 in control group. To add 1% to the response rate costs ￥161.44 vs ￥210.37 respectively (US $19.45 vs $25.35). One-month prolongation of TTP costs ￥1 243.18 vs ￥1506.17 (US $149.78 vs $181.47). Escalation of 1% of 1-year survival costs ￥172.74 vs ￥201.64 (US $20.75 vs $24.29). CONCLUSION: Oral Xeloda combined with bi-platinu two-way combination chemotherapy is efficient and tolerable for patients with advanced gastrointestinal malignancies; meanwhile the expenditure is similar to that of CF/5-FU combined with bi-platinu chemotherapy, and will be cheaper if we are concerned about the increase of the response rate, TTP or 1-year-survival rate pharmacoeconomically.     

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy with S-1 and CDDP in advanced gastric cancer

Purpose This retrospective study evaluated the effects of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in advanced gastric cancer.Methods Between 2002 and 2005, we treated 14 patients with advanced gastric cancer (involvement of more than five nodes or tumor invasion into pancreas) and 25 patients with Stage III gastric cancer. The group of 14 patients with advanced gastric cancer received combination chemotherapy with S-1 and cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (CDDP) as a neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). This regimen was repeated every 5 weeks for a total of 2–5 cycles. The 25 patients with Stage III gastric cancer was carried surgery alone (SA). All patients underwent extensive surgery, including gastrectomy, and D2 lymphadenectomy. The rate of response and overall survival in the two groups were compared.Results All patients of NAC group completed the planned regimens of chemotherapy and surgery. Patients of the NAC group had a response rate of 78.6% (95% confidence interval 57.1–100.0%). The most common adverse effect was leukocytopenia (42.9%). However, only four patients (28.6%) had upper Grade 2 leukocytopenia, and all recovered promptly. Postoperative complications were not significant differentiated between NAC and SA group of patients (7.2 vs. 4.0%). Patients in the NAC group had a significantly better survival than those in the SA group (P = 0.03). The median survival has not been reached after 26.9 months of median follow-up for patients in the NAC group. 1-, 2-, and 3-year survival rates were 92.3, 92.3, and 61.5%, respectively. NAC was identified as an independent prognostic factor in all patients (P = 0.018).Conclusion Neoadjuvant chemotherapy with TS-1 + CDDP improves the survival in patients with advanced gastric cancer.     

Preventing prolonged post-operative ileus in gastric cancer patients undergoing gastrectomy and intra-peritoneal chemotherapy

AIM: To assess the efficacy of metoclopramide (Met) for prevention of prolonged post-operative ileus in advanced gastric cancer patients undergoing D2 gastrectomy and intra-peritoneal chemotherapy (IPC). METHODS: Thirty-two advanced gastric cancer patients undergoing D2 gastrectomy and IPC were allocated to two groups. Sixteen patients received Met immediately after operation (group A), and 16 did not (group B). Another 16 patients who underwent D2 gastrectomy without IPC were enrolled as the control group (group C). All patients had received epidural pain control. The primary endpoints were time to first post-operative flatus and time until oral feeding with a soft diet without discomfort. Secondary endpoints were early complications during hospitalization. RESULTS: Gender, the type of resection, operating time, blood loss, tumor status and amount of narcotics were comparable in the three groups. However, the group C patients were older than those in groups A and B (67.5±17.7 vs 56.8±13.2,57.5±11.7 years, P= 0.048). First bowel flatus occurred after 4.35±0.93 d in group A, 4.94±1.37 d in group B, and 4.71±1.22 d in group C (P>0.05). Oral feeding of a soft diet was tolerated 7.21±1.92 d after operation in group A, 10.15±2.17 d in group B, and 7.53±1.35 d in group C (groups A and C vs group B, P<0.05). There was no significant difference in respect to the first flatus among the three groups. However, the time of tolerating oral intake with soft food in groups A and C patients was significantly shorter than that in group B patients. Levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) were significantly lower in group C and there was a more prominent and prolonged response in CRP level in patients undergoing IPC. The incidence of post-operative complications was similar in the three groups except for prolonged post-operative ileus. There was no increased risk of anastomotic leakage in patients receiving Met. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that a combination of intravenous Met and epidural pain control may be required to achieve a considerable decrease in time to resumption of oral soft diet in advanced gastric cancer patients who underwent gastrectomy and IPC. Furthermore, the administration of Met did not increase anastomotic leakage. Met has a role in the prevention of prolonged post-operative ileus.     

Effectiveness of 5-flurouracil-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy in locally-advanced gastric/gastroesophageal cancer: A meta-analysis

AIM:To investigate the effectiveness of 5-flurouracilbased neoadjuvant chemotherapy(NAC) for gastroesophageal and gastric cancer by meta-analysis.METHODS:MEDLINE and manual searches were performed to identify all published randomized controlled trials(RCTs) investigating the efficacy of the flurouracilbased NAC for gastroesophageal and gastric cancer,and RCTs of NAC for advanced gastroesophageal and gastric cancer vs no therapy before surgery.Studies that included patients with metastases at enrollment were excluded.Primary endpoint was the odds ratio(OR) for improving overall survival rate of patients with gastroesophageal and gastric cancer.Secondary endpoints were the OR of efficiency for down-staging tumor and increasing R0 resection in patients with gas-troesophageal and gastric cancer.Safety analyses were also performed.The OR was the principal measurement of effect,which was calculated as the treatment group(NAC plus surgery) vs control group(surgery alone) and was presented as a point estimate with 95% confidence intervals(CI).All calculations and statistical tests were performed using RevMan 5.1 software.RESULTS:Seven RCTs were included for the analysis.A total of 1249 patients with advanced gastroesophageal and gastric cancer enrolled in the seven trials were divided into treatment group(n = 620) and control group(n = 629).The quality scores of the RCTs were assessed according to the method of Jadad.The RCT quality scores ranged from 2 to 7(5-point scale),with a mean of 3.75.The median follow-up time in these studies was over 3 years.The meta-analysis showed that NAC improved the overall survival rate(OR 1.40,95%CI 1.11-1.76;P = 0.005),which was statistically significant.The 3-year progression-free survival rate was significantly higher in treatment group than in control group(37.7% vs 27.3%)(OR 1.62,95%CI 1.21-2.15;P = 0.001).The tumor down-stage rate was higher in treatment group than in control group(55.76% vs 41.38%)(OR 1.77,95%CI 1.27-2.49;P = 0.0009) and the R0 resection rate of the gastroesophageal and gastric cancer was higher in treatment group than in control group(75.11% vs 68.56%)(OR 1.38,95%CI 1.03-1.85;P = 0.03),with significant differences.No obvious safety concerns about mortality and complications were raised in these trials.There were no statistically significant differences in perioperative mortality(5.08% vs 4.86%)(OR 1.05,95%CI 0.57-1.94;P = 0.87 fixed-effect model) and in the complication rate between the two groups(13.25% vs 9.66%)(OR 1.40,95%CI 0.91-2.14;P = 0.12 fixed-effect model).Trials showed that patients from Western countries favored NAC compared with those from Asian countries(OR 1.40,95%CI 1.07-1.83).Monotherapy was inferior tomultiple chemotherapy(OR 1.40,95%CI 1.07-1.83).Intravenous administration of NAC was more advantageous than oral route(OR 1.41,95%CI 1.09-1.81).CONCLUSION:Flurouracil-based NAC can safely improve overall survival rate of patients with gastroesophageal/gastric cancer.Additionally,NAC can down the tumor stage and improve R0 resection.