IS THE COMBINATION OF 5-FLUOROURACIL AND FOLINIC ACID EFFECTIVE IN ADVANCED GASTRIC-CARCINOMA - RESULTS OF A PILOT-STUDY AND REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

The main purpose of this trial was to investigate the activity of a le ss toxic regimen in patients with advanced gastric carcinoma regarding response rate and survival. We report on a pilot study of 20 patients treated with the combination of 5-fluorouracil and folinic acid. 5-fl uorouracil was administered at a daily dose of 450 mg/m2 followed by f olinic acid 200 mg/m2 for four consecutive days every four weeks. The overall response rate was 15% with one complete and two partial respon ders. The median duration of response was 11, 10 and 10 months respect ively. The median survival of all patients was 9 months. Toxicity was mild and consisted primarily of diarrhea. Stomatitis and myelosuppress ion occurred rarely. In conclusion, the combination of 5-fluorouracil and folinic acid has moderate activity in gastric cancer, while median survival appears similar to the other more intensive regimens. The co mbination is very well tolerated with minimal toxicity. A detailed rev iew of the literature regarding the effectiveness of the above regimen s on response rate, overall survival and toxicity is also presented.