Efficacy observation of continuous dosing or alternate-day dosing of apatinib combined with SOX regimen as first-line treatment for advanced gastric cancer / 肿瘤研究与临床

ABSTRACT

Objective:To compare the clinical efficacy and safety of continuous dosing or alternate-day dosing of apatinib combined with SOX regimen as first-line treatment for patients with advanced gastric cancer.Methods:A total of 52 patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) negative and inoperable locally advanced or advanced gastric cancer who were pathologically diagnosed from January 2018 to January 2021 in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University were collected. The patients were divided into continuous dosing group and alternate-day dosing group by random number table method. The continuous dosing group received apatinib (250 mg, once a day) combined with SOX regimen (S-1+oxaliplatin); the alternate-day dosing group received apatinib (250 mg, once every other day) combined with SOX regimen. Twenty-one days were a cycle, and the efficacy was evaluated after 2 cycles. After 4-6 cycles, patients with stable disease received apatinib and S-1 for maintenance therapy. The therapeutic effects and adverse reactions of the two groups were compared.Results:The curative effect could be evaluated in 51 patients, including 26 in the continuous dosing group and 25 in the alternate-day dosing group. The disease control rates in the continuous dosing group and the alternate-day dosing group were 84.6% (22/26) and 76.0% (19/25) ( χ2 = 0.60, P = 0.499), and the median progression-free survival time was 7.50 months (95% CI 6.17-8.83 months) and 8.30 months (95% CI 6.99-9.61 months) ( χ2 = 0.71, P = 0.401), and the median overall survival time was 15.50 months (95% CI 11.30-19.69 months) and 15.60 months (95% CI 13.63-17.57 months) ( χ2 = 1.82, P = 0.177). The main adverse reactions in the two groups were leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, hypertension, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, hand-foot syndrome, proteinuria, liver and kidney damage. The incidence rates of ≥grade 3 adverse reactions in the continuous dosing group and the alternate-day dosing group were 42.3% (11/26) and 12.0% (3/25), and the difference was statistically significant ( χ2 = 4.46, P = 0.035). Conclusions:The efficacy of continuous dosing or alternate-day dosing of apatinib combined with SOX regimen as first-line treatment for advanced gastric cancer is similar, but the incidence of ≥grade 3 adverse reactions in alternate-day dosing group is lower, which improves the compliance and tolerance of patients.