Continuous 5-fluorouracil infusion in advanced gastric carcinoma

Fourteen patients with advanced gastric adenocarcinoma were treated with continuous 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) infusion, 300 mg/m2/day, through an indwelling central venous catheter; 13 were evaluable for response. The results were as follows; Partial remission was seen in 4 of 13 patients (31%), stable disease in 5 of 13 patients (38%), and progressive disease in 4 of 13 patients (31%). The median duration of response was 19 weeks (range, 10-41), and the median survival for all patients from initiation of infusion was 27 weeks (range, 9-54). Treatment interruption and/or dosage attenuation for toxicity was necessary in 7 of 14 patients (50%); however, myelosuppression, alopecia, and nausea and vomiting were not observed. 5-FU infusion is well-tolerated, palliative therapy for patients with advanced gastric carcinoma and may warrant further investigation in combination with other chemotherapeutic drugs.