No cross-resistance of taxotere and taxol to conventional chemotherapeutic agents against gastric cancers as detected by MTT assay.

To evaluate the clinical usefulness of taxanes as antitumor agents, we compared the antitumor spectrum of taxanes with those of conventional antitumor agents against 88 fresh gastric cancer specimens by MTT assay. At cut-off concentrations of 100 micrograms/ml for taxotere (Docetaxel, DOC) and 300 micrograms/ml for taxol (Paclitaxel, PAC), both agents showed a higher efficacy rate than mitomycin C (MMC), cisplatin (CDDP) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) against the gastric cancer specimens. The patterns of antitumor activity of DOC and PAC were independent from those of the conventional agents, while the patterns of antitumor activity of the taxanes significantly correlated with each other. Conventional agent antitumor activity patterns tended to correlate with the patterns of other conventional agents. In conclusion, taxanes may be useful for clinical application against gastric cancer due to their different antitumor spectrum as compared to conventional agents.