Oxaliplatin, 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin (FOLFOX-4) combination chemotherapy as a salvage treatment in advanced gastric cancer

• Published in: Cancer research and treatment 2010, 42(1), , pp.24-29
• Main Authors: Kim, Young Saing, Hong, Junshik, Sym, Sun Jin, Park, Se Hoon, Park, Jinny, Cho, Eun Kyung, Lee, Jae Hoon, Shin, Dong Bok
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Original; 의약학
• ISSN: 1598-2998; 2005-9256
• DOI: 10.4143/crt.2010.42.1.24

This study was designed to determine the efficacy and safety of FOLFOX-4 chemotherapy as a salvage treatment for patients with advanced gastric cancer (AGC). The AGC patients with an ECOG performance status of 0~1 and progressive disease after prior treatments were registered onto this phase II trial. The patients received oxaliplatin (85 mg/m² on day 1), leucovorin (200 mg/m² on days 1 and 2) and 5-fluorouracil (400 mg/m² as a bolus and 600 mg/m² as a 22-hour infusion on days 1 and 2) every 2 weeks. For the 42 treated patients, a total of 228 chemotherapy cycles (median: 5, range: 1~12) were administered. Twenty-nine patients (69%) received FOLFOX-4 chemotherapy as a third-(50%) or fourth-line (19%) treatment. On the intent-to-treat analysis, 9 patients (21%) achieved a partial response, which was maintained for 4.6 months. The median progression-free survival and overall survival were 3.0 months and 6.2 months, respectively. The frequently encountered toxicities were neutropenia and gastrointestinal side effects, including anorexia. Although there was one possible treatment-related death, the toxicity profiles were generally predictable and manageable. Salvage chemotherapy with FOLFOX-4 is an effective and tolerable regimen for those heavily pretreated AGC patients who have a good performance status.