[Clinical study of weekly administration of paclitaxel for advanced and metastatic gastric cancer]

Ten cases of advanced and metastatic gastric cancer treated by weekly administration of paclitaxel were studied. The patients were 50-72 years of age, including 9 men and 1 woman. In this study, paclitaxel was administered by 1 hour intravenous infusion at a dose of 50-80 mg/m2 every week. Administration was continued for 3 weeks with 1 week rest. One to four cycles were performed at minimum. Paclitaxel was administered in 5 cases as 1st line treatment, 4 cases as 2nd line treatment and 1 case as 3rd line treatment. There were 2 partial responders and no complete responders, and the overall response rate was 20%. The response rate was 100% in liver, 100% in lung, 16% in lymphnodes, and 0% in peritonial dissemination. The clinical symptoms of pain and jaundice abated in one case, the size of the tumor decreased in one case, and a temporary decrease of ascites due to peritonial dissemination was seen in two cases. The level of tumor marker was decreased in 3 out of 10 cases. Side effects included grade 3/4 leukopenia in 10% of patients, and alopecia in 50%, but peripheral neuropathy was not observed. Weekly administration of paclitaxel appears to be well-tolerated and effective against advanced and metastatic gastric cancer.