Semimonthly 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin combined with oxaliplatin in treatment of advanced gastric cancer

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and the safety of oxaliplatin combined with semimonthly 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)/leucovorin(LV) for patients with advanced gastric cancer(AGC). Methods Of the 26 eligible patients with assessable or measurable AGC, 25 received oxaliplatin 85mg/m~2 on day1 and LV 200 mg/m~2 on day1,2(2-hour intravenous infusion) followed by 5-FU bolus 400mg/m~2 on day1,2 (10 minute infusion) and then 5-FU 600mg/m~2 on day1,2 (22 hour continuous infusion). Cycles were repeated at 2-week intervals. One cycle consisted of twice chemotherapy regimens. Treatment was continued for at least two cycles in all enrolled cases. Results Of the 25 evaluable patients, there were two complete responses and twelve partial responses (responses rate 56%, 14/25). The median duration of response was three months. No treatment-related death occurred, The major adverse effects were mild peripheral neuropathy、nausea/vomiting and myelosuppression. Conclusion Semimonthly 5-FU/LV combined with oxaliplatin shows good efficacy and acceptable safety in AGC patients, this regimen may be introduced into AGC patients, which let us have more choice for these patients in treatment.