Phase II study of weekly paclitaxel and 24-hour infusion of high-dose 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin in the treatment of recurrent or metastatic gastric cancer.

To investigate the efficacy and safety of combining weekly paclitaxel with weekly 24-hour infusion of high-dose 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and leucovorin (LV, folinic acid) in the treatment of patients with advanced gastric cancer. Patients with histologically confirmed recurrent or metastatic gastric cancer were studied. Paclitaxel 80 mg/m2 3-hour intravenous infusion was given on days 1, 8, and 15, and high-dose 5-FU 2,600 mg/m2 plus LV 300 mg/m2 24-hour intravenous infusion (HDFL) was given on days 2, 9, and 16, repeated every 4 weeks. Between August 1997 and August 2003, 30 patients were enrolled. The median age was 58 years (range: 37-70). Eighteen patients (60.0%) had recurrent or metastatic disease and 12 patients had de novo metastatic disease. Among the 27 patients evaluable for tumor response, 2 achieved complete response and 9 achieved partial response, with an overall response rate of 40.7% (95% confidence interval, CI: 22-61%). Eleven of the 21 patients without prior exposure to HDFL-containing regimens responded (response rate: 52.4%, 95% CI: 29-74%), while none of the 6 patients who had previously failed HDFL-containing regimens responded (p value = 0.054 by Fisher's exact test). All 30 patients were evaluated for survival and toxicities. Median time to progression and overall survival were 6 and 10 months, respectively. Major grade 3-4 toxicities were neutropenia in 12 patients (40.0%), diarrhea in 10 patients (33.3%), and stomatitis in 3 patients (10.0%). Grade 1-2 and 3-4 paclitaxel-related neuropathy developed in 16 (53.3%) and 2 (6.7%) patients, respectively. None of the patients discontinued protocol treatment because of paclitaxel-related neuropathy or developed HDFL-related hyperammonemic encephalopathy. This paclitaxel-HDFL regimen is effective and well tolerated in the treatment of advanced gastric cancer.