[Intra-peritoneal chemotherapy for scirrhous gastric cancer]

Preoperative intra-peritoneal chemotherapy (IPC) for scirrhous gastric cancer (SGC) has been performed and followed after laparoscopic diagnosis of peritoneal metastasis (P) or washing cytology (CY) in our hospital. Between 2002 and 2005, 15 SGC patients were treated with 3 times of IPC using CDDP (50 mg/body) before operation (CDDP group). Between 2006 and 2008, 9 SGC patients were treated with IPC using docetaxel: DOC (40 mg/m2) and treated with systemic chemotherapy using S-1 (80 mg/m2) before operation (DOC group). Cases with P (+) or CY (+) were detected in 80% in CDDP group and in 89% in DOC group. Gastrectomy was performed in 67% of CDDP group and in 56% of DOC group. All of the 15 patients died in CDDP group but 4 of 9 were still alive in DOC group. The median survival time of DOC group (22 months) was longer than that of CDDP group (10 months, p=0.123). Thus, preoperative IPC using DOC combined with systemic chemotherapy using S-1 should be effective treatment for SGC.