[Recent advance in gastric cancer chemotherapy].

Abstract

Because of the low chemosensitivity of gastric cancer to conventionally available agents, several approaches were investigated to design "order made" treatments using chemosensitivity tests, including the histoculture drug response assay (HDRA) which was useful in evaluating the appropriate cancer chemotherapy for the patients with Stage III/IV gastric cancer. A recent investigation using a molecular biological method was introduced to predict the sensitivity of gastric cancer specimens to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) by dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) activity and its mRNA. The low activity of DPD and DPD mRNA resulted in the low sensitivity to 5-FU, although thymidylate synthetase activity was not related to the sensitivity to 5-FU. This method is promising, since a small amount of material obtained through gastrofiberscopy will be adequate to assess DPD mRNA to predict the sensitivity to 5-FU. On the other hand, some randomized control trials with a huge cohort have indicated the usefulness of a "docetaxel + cisplatin + 5-FU" regimen for advanced and recurrent gastric cancer, and "5-FU + LV + radiation" as an adjuvant therapy for advanced gastric cancer. Furthermore, the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy after curative resection for gastric cancer was warranted by a meta-analysis of 19 published randomized trials. The "order made" and "standard" therapies will be complementary in the further development of chemotherapy against gastric cancer.

• Authors: T Kubota
• Journal: Gan to kagaku ryoho. Cancer & chemotherapy (Gan To Kagaku Ryoho) Vol. 27 Issue 13 Pg. 2043-7 (Nov 2000) ISSN: 0385-0684 [Print] Japan
• PMID: 11103235 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Review)

Chemical References

• RNA, Messenger
• Taxoids
• Docetaxel
• Mitomycin
• Thymidylate Synthase
• Paclitaxel
• Cisplatin
• Fluorouracil

Topics

• Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols (therapeutic use)
• Cisplatin (administration & dosage)
• Docetaxel
• Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor
• Fluorouracil (administration & dosage, pharmacology)
• Humans
• Mitomycin (pharmacology)
• Paclitaxel (administration & dosage, analogs & derivatives)
• Prognosis
• RNA, Messenger (analysis)
• Stomach Neoplasms (drug therapy, enzymology, pathology)
• Taxoids
• Thymidylate Synthase (genetics, metabolism)