Combination chemotherapy of irinotecan plus cisplatin for advanced gastric cancer: Efficacy and feasibility in clinical practice

Abstract

Background. A previous phase II study showed that a combination of irinotecan (CPT-11) with cisplatin (CDDP) was effective for advanced gastric cancers, but was associated with substantial neutropenia and diarrhea. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the efficacy and feasibility of the combination in clinical practice. Methods. The subjects comprised 65 patients with advanced gastric cancer treated with CPT-11 (70 mg/m2, day 1, day 15) and CDDP (80 mg/m2, day 1) as first-line chemotherapy between April 1993 and March 1999. Patient backgrounds, response rates, response durations, times to progression, and survival rates were investigated retrospectively. Results. The overall response rate and the response rates for measurable metastatic lesions and primary sites were 43% (28/65), 48% (31/64), and 24% (10/42). Leucopenia of grade 4 and diarrhea of grade 3 or 4 were observed in 6 (9%) and 5 (8%) patients, respectively. Among the 19 patients with peritoneal metastasis, leucopenia of grade 4 and diarrhea of grade 3 or 4 were observed in only 1 of the 18 patients who received sufficient oral intake (6%). There were no treatment-related or early deaths within 30 days from the last treatment day. The median survival times of all patients, patients with an intestinal type of adenocarcinoma, and patients with a diffuse type were 365, 472, and 291 days, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that the histological type of cancer was a significant independent prognostic factor (P = 0.0169). Conclusion. This retrospective study confirmed the efficacy and feasibility of this combination therapy in clinical practice.