[Effect of CDDP/5'-DFUR combination chemotherapy for advanced or recurrent gastric cancer]

CDDP/5'-DFUR combination chemotherapy was performed on 17 patients with non-resected and recurrent gastric cancer (clinical stage were IVb in all patients). They were treated with 1,400 mg/m2 of 5'-DFUR on days 1-4 orally following by withdrawal 10 days, every 2 weeks repeatedly and 80 mg/m2 of CDDP (c. i. v., on day 5, every 4 weeks). This chemotherapy was performed for at least 2 courses on all patients. Eight of 17 patients achieved a partial response and the overall response rate was 47.1% (differentiated type 57.1%, undifferentiated type 45.5%). Response rates of each lesion were as follows: primary foci 42.9%, abdominal lymph nodes 57.1%, hepatic metastasis 60.0% and ascites 33.3%, respectively. Improvement of performance status was seen in 12 of 17 patients (70.6%). The overall median survival time was 227 days. The median outpatient period was 113 days. There was no high-grade toxicity over grade 2. Therapeutic toxicity of grade 2 was manifested as renal dysfunction (23.5%), nausea/vomiting (17.6%), leukopenia (5.9%) and anemia (5.9%). We evaluated the therapeutic effect by visual examination after completion of the second course. However, poor effect and high incidence of renal dysfunction were found in patients treated with this therapy over four times. Therefore, the maximum effect seemed to be revealed after completion of the fourth course. From the present study, CDDP/5'-DFUR combination chemotherapy seems to be effective for patients with high-grade advanced gastric cancer and improved their quality of life.