[Chemotherapy of stomach cancer]

In recent years several studies have been performed to improve the chemotherapy of metastatic gastric carcinoma. It is now established that combined chemotherapy for example with 5-Fluorouracil, adriamycin and mitomycin C or nitrosourea derivatives is superior to monotherapy with 5-Fluorouracil. With this combined chemotherapy, response rates of 30-40% can be achieved with prolonged medium survival time in responders. In locally advanced tumors the combined use of radiation and chemotherapy probably will be able to improve the results. Future studies are needed to show the role of adjuvant chemotherapy in gastric cancer patients after surgery.