A case of effective weekly paclitaxel administration for metastatic gastric cancer

We report a case of long-term effectiveness of weekly paclitaxel (TXL) administration for metastatic gastric cancer. TXL (80 mg/m2) was infused over 1 hour after short premedication on an outpatient basis. Administration was continued for 3 weeks followed by 1 week rest. A 61-year-old man was diagnosed as having gastric cancer with multiple liver metastases. He was treated with FP therapy and irinotecan/cisplatin administration and both therapies were assessed to result in progressive disease. We attempted weekly TXL administration and assessed a long period of no change after 6 courses. The treatment is ongoing. The toxic events were peripheral neuropathy and alopecia (grade 2), with no episodes of leukopenia, nausea and vomiting. The patient's quality of life was fair during the treatment. Weekly TXL administration is a useful treatment for metastatic gastric cancer.