HIGH-DOSE CHEMOTHERAPY WITH AUTOLOGOUS BONE-MARROW TRANSPLANTATION INTHE TREATMENT OF ADVANCED GASTRIC-CANCER

Background. Clinical usefulness of high-dose chemotherapy with autolog ous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT) in the treatment of gastric can cer was investigated. Methods. Ten patients with late-stage gastric ca ncer (four recurrent and six primary cases) with measurable lesions we re treated with high-dose combination therapy consisting of etoposide (VP-16) (1200 mg/m2), adriamycin (80 mg/m2), and cisplatin (120 mg/m2) or carboplatin (900 mg/m2) (high-dose etoposide, adriamycin, and cisp latin [EAP] therapy). Afterward, 1 x 10(7)/kg of mononuclear cells, wh ich were prepared from autologous bone marrow before treatment and cry opreserved, were transfused intravenously. Results. All patients recov ered from the aplastic period without severe complications. Of nine as sessable cases, partial response was observed in eight (89% response r ate). Conclusion. High-dose EAP therapy with ABMT is recommended as ad juvant therapy accompanied with radical operation for late-stage gastr ic cancer.