Effects of intermittent 5-fluorouracil and low-dose cisplatin therapy on advanced and recurrent gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND Although combination therapy consisting of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and cisplatin for the treatment of gastric cancer has been reported, no consistent regimen has been established. Our aim was to determine the optimal treatment schedule of this therapy, for patients with advanced or recurrent gastric cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS We conducted a phase II study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of combination therapy consisting of intermittent 5-FU and low-dose cisplatin in 26 patients with advanced or recurrent gastric cancer. The treatment cycle consisted of intravenous cisplatin at 3.3 mg/m(2)/day for 5 consecutive days. 5-FU was administered as a continuous intravenous infusion at 300-500 mg/body every other day (days 1, 3, 5) for 4 weeks. RESULTS The partial response rate was 34.6%. The median survival duration was 12.8 months and the one-year survival was 53.1%. There were a few adverse effects. CONCLUSION Our results suggest that this mode of combination therapy led to a fairly favorable outcome for patients with advanced or recurrent gastric cancer.