[Treatment of advanced stomach carcinoma with adriamycin and 5-fluorouracil]

Advanced gastric carcinoma is one of the digestive tract sites which best responds to chemotherapy. Single drug therapy offers an objective regression between 0.30% (Table I). Combined chemotherapy is considered to be more effective, results varying from 6.55% (Table II). Since March 1979 till May 1983, we initiated a cooperative protocol between the hospitals J. M. Penna and L. Lucero of Bahía Blanca and the Regional Hospital of Neuguén, for the treatment of advanced gastric carcinoma, associating 5-fluorouracil (5FU) and adriamycin (ADM). Characteristics of the 20 evaluated patients are shown in Table III. Objective regressions represented 40% (8/20 patients), with a median duration of 8, 5 months (Table IV). The mean survival rate of responders was 11.5 months and of non-responders 3,5 months (P +/- 0.005). Table V illustrates the clinical status and response induced by this therapy. Tolerance was acceptable (Table VI). Severe or very severe toxicity reported in other trials after the administration of 5-FU - ADM combined with methyl CCNU or mitomycin C, did not occur. In our study there was no indication to interrupt therapy due to hematologic or non-hematologic side effects. Results indicate that the combination 5-FU - ADM might be promising for this neoplasm and should be further investigates in a larger number of patients in order to establish its real usefulness.