Clinical study of weekly paclitaxel combined with continuous infusion of low-dose 5-FU as second-line chemotherapy for advanced gastric cancer

[Objective] To investigate the efficacy and the toxicity of weekly paclitaxel combined with continuous infusion of low-dose 5-FU as second-line chemotherapy for advanced gastric cancer.[Methods] A total of 20 patients with metastatic or unresectable gastric adenocarcinoma who had measurable lesions and had disease progression with the front-line chemotherapy were treated with the following regimen,administered every 21~28 days,paclitaxel 60 mg/m2 by i.v on d 1,8,15,5-FU 300 mg/d by 24 hours c.i.v for 14 days and cisplatin 5 mg/d by i.v on d 1~5,d 7~12.All the patients received 2~7 cycles of chemotherapy,median 3 cycles.[Results] The overall response rate(CR+PR) was 40%.TCR(CR+PR+SD) was 65%.The median TIP was 5 months(3~24 months).The MST was 8 months(5~30 months).The major toxicity of this treatment were myelosuppression,nausea/vomiting,trichomadesis,mucositis and neurotoxicity.[Conclusoins] Weekly paclitaxel combined with continuous infusion of low-dose 5-FU as second-line chemotherapy for advanced gastric cancer is effective and tolerable.It is worth studying in the future.