[Sex hormone dependency and endocrine therapy in diffuse carcinoma of the stomach]

In order to investigate the hormone dependency of gastric cancer, the presence of estrogen receptor (E.R.) in surgically resected carcinomatous tissues was studied. E.R. assay was performed by dextran coated charcoal method. We have found 10% E.R. positive cases in gastric cancer (4/40). These 4 patients were all female, and showed Borrmann 3 or 4 type macroscopically. The histological types of these cases were signet-ring cell carcinoma or poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. Furthermore, experimental studies suggest that the growth of signet-ring cell carcinoma transplanted on nude mice depends on sex hormone. Based on these observations, the clinical trial of chemo-endocrine therapy after gastrectomy for female patients with diffuse carcinoma of the stomach has been performed in our hospital since 1980. The therapy consists of Mitomycin-C plus subsequent Tegafur, with or without Tamoxifen 20 mg/day given orally, twice a day starting 2 weeks after surgery. The results are as follows: The cumulative 3-year survival rate in 21 cases receiving chemo-endocrine therapy (TAM+) after gastrectomy revealed higher (43.3%) than that (5.6%) in 23 cases receiving chemotherapy alone (TAM-). Furthermore, 2 and 3 years survival rates of TAM + in curatively resected cases (8 cases) were both 100% including 2 recurrent cases. In TAM- 10 cases, 2 and 3 years survival rate showed 68.4% and 16.3% respectively with statistically significance (p less than 0.01). Chemo-endocrine therapy for non-curatively resected and recurrent cases were also effective. This result suggests that the chemo-endocrine therapy after gastrectomy may be a new hopeful adjuvant in female patients with diffuse carcinoma of the stomach.