Multicenter phase II study of capecitabine plus oxaliplatin as a first-line therapy in Chinese patients with advanced gastric cancer

The efficacy of chemotherapy for advanced gastric cancer with palliative intent compared with supportive care alone is now widely accepted. However, the survival advantage is small, and no internationally accepted standard regimen has emerged. This study is performed to evaluate the response rate, time to progression, and safety of the combination of capecitabine (1000 mg/m twice daily, days 1-14) plus oxaliplatin (130 mg/m as a 2-h intravenous infusion on day 1) every 3 weeks, in previously untreated Chinese patients with advanced gastric cancer. Sixty-five (95.6%) of the 68 patients were assessable for response. Three cases of complete response and 34 cases of partial response were confirmed, giving an overall response rate of 54.4% [95% confidence interval (CI), 42.6-66.2%]. The median time to progression and overall survival for all patients were 5.7 months (95% CI, 2.0-8.8 months) and 10.5 months (95% CI, 5.0-15.1 months). The most severe hematologic adverse event was neutropenia, which occurred with grade 3 intensity in three (4.6%) patients and grade 4 in one (1.5%) patient. Thrombocytopenia and leukopenia occurred with grade 3 intensity in five (7.7%) and three (4.6%) patients, respectively. However, no grade 4 thrombocytopenia and leukopenia were observed. Grade 1/2 nausea/vomiting and diarrhea were observed in 33 (50.8%), 17 (26.2%), 26 (40%), 44 (67.7%), and 13 (20%) patients, respectively, and grade 3 nausea/vomiting and diarrhea were observed in one (1.5%) and four (6.2%) patients. Yet, no grade 4 nonhematologic toxicity was observed. Capecitabine/oxaliplatin combination chemotherapy is active in Chinese patients with previously untreated advanced gastric cancer.