A phase II study of mitoxantrone in advanced gastric cancer

Sixteen patients with advanced adenocarcinoma of the stomach were entered into a phase II study of mitoxantrone at a dosage of either 12 mg/m2 or 14 mg/m2 given at 3 weekly intervals. Nine patients had received prior chemotherapy including doxorubicin. No patients achieved either a complete or partial response, five patients had stable disease and the remainder disease progression. Moderate to severe leukopenia occurred in 10 patients with one septic death. Median survival for all patients was eight weeks (range 1-49 weeks). It is concluded that mitoxantrone has no worthwhile activity in gastric cancer at the described doses.