Open AccessThree Weekly Irinotecan and Bolus 5-Fluorouracil Combination in the First Line Treatment of Advanced Gastric Cancer - A Single Institution Experience
Author(s) -
Mohamed Mostafa,
Tarik Mahfoud,
Samir Ahid,
Nabil Ismaili,
Saber Boutayeb,
Hassan Errihani
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
international journal of medicine and surgery/international journal of medicine and surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2550-4983
pISSN - 2336-0313
DOI - 10.15342/ijms.v3i1.95
Subject(s) - medicine , irinotecan , neutropenia , anemia , chemotherapy , performance status , surgery , bolus (digestion) , cancer , population , febrile neutropenia , gastroenterology , colorectal cancer , environmental health
Background: The goal of this study is to determine the efficacy and toxicity of a non-platinum based chemotherapy combination using irinotecan associated to bolus 5-FU as first line treatment in advanced gastric cancer. Materiel and methods: Retrospective analysis of a population of patients treated for metastatic and locally advanced gastric cancer with irinotecan and 5-FU as upfront chemotherapy. Results: Thirteen patients were enrolled. The median age was 56 years. Seven patients were males and six were of females. Ten patients had a metastatic disease and three patients had a locally advanced disease. Patients received a total number of 43 cycles of chemotherapy. Overall response rate was 38,4%, median time to progression (TTP) was 3 months, and median overall survival was 4 months. Three patients (23,1%) presented grade 3 /4 neutropenia complicated with an infectious episode with fever in two cases, three patients (23,1%) required blood transfusion for a grade 4 anemia, and one patient (7,6%) was hospitalized for a severe episode of diarrhea. Conclusion: Three weekly irinotecan and bolus 5-FU is an interesting combination as first line treatment of advanced gastric cancer; designed clinical trials are needed to confirm the activity of this combination.