Paclitaxel chemotherapy for the treatment of gastric cancer

• Published in: Gastric cancer : official journal of the International Gastric Cancer Association and the Japanese Gastric Cancer Association Vol. 12; no. 2; pp. 69 - 78
• Main Authors: Sakamoto, Junichi, Matsui, Takanori, Kodera, Yasuhiro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan Springer Japan 01.06.2009; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Abdominal Surgery; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic - therapeutic use; Cancer Research; Clinical Trials, Phase I as Topic; Clinical Trials, Phase II as Topic; Gastric cancer; Gastroenterology; Humans; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Oncology; Paclitaxel - therapeutic use; Review Article; Stomach Neoplasms - drug therapy; Stomach Neoplasms - mortality; Surgical Oncology; Treatment Outcome; Gastric cancer; Chemotherapy; Paclitaxel
• ISSN: 1436-3291; 1436-3305
• DOI: 10.1007/s10120-009-0505-z

A comprehensive review of phase I and phase II clinical trials of paclitaxel and paclitaxel-containing chemotherapy regimens for advanced gastric cancer was performed. Response rates, median progression-free survivals, and median overall survivals were examined, together with the treatment regimens and the numbers of patients registered in each trial. Although paclitaxel monotherapy produced considerable improvement in tumor response and prognosis, combination doublet or triplet chemotherapy with fluoropyrimidines and/or platinum compounds showed better results than the paclitaxel monotherapy. With regard to the schedule of paclitaxel administration, weekly injection seemed to show less toxicity and better results than administration every 3 weeks. Adjuvant therapies, chemoradiation therapies, and paclitaxel treatment for gastric ascites were also investigated and are discussed.