Weekly paclitaxel as second-line chemotherapy in Japanese patients with advanced gastric cancer

The use of weekly paclitaxel (wPTX) has become a common practice as second-line chemotherapy in Japanese patients with advanced gastric cancer. The aim of the present study was to assess the efficacy of wPTX.

We retrospectively analyzed data from 229 patients with advanced gastric cancer who received wPTX as second-line chemotherapy between March 2001 and January 2011 at our hospital. Patients received PTX at a dose of 80 mg/m(2) on days 1, 8, 15 of a 28-day cycle. Response and survival were evaluated.

The overall response rate was 12.5% in 96 patients who had measurable lesions that were assessable for response. In 107 patients who had malignant ascites, the response rate for therapy of ascites was 38.3%. The median progression-free survival was 3.6 months, and the median overall survival was 6.3 months. Multivariate analysis revealed that the number of metastatic sites [hazard ratio (HR)=1.56, p=0.009], bone metastasis (HR=2.11, p=0.006), ascites (HR 1.75, p<0.001), and the presence of the primary lesion (HR=1.77, p<0.001) were independent prognostic factors of poor survival.

wPTX is an effective regimen for advanced gastric cancer refractory to first-line chemotherapy.