Adjuvant chemotherapy with epirubicin, leucovorin, 5-fluorouracil and etoposide regimen in resected gastric cancer patients: a randomized phase III trial by the Gruppo Oncologico Italia Meridionale (GOIM 9602 Study).

BACKGROUND: This randomized, multicenter, phase III trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of the combination of epirubicin, leucovorin, 5-fluorouracil and etoposide (ELFE regimen) as adjuvant therapy for radically resected gastric cancer patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From June 1996 to June 2001, 228 stage IB-IIIB gastric cancer patients were enrolled. All patients received a total or subtotal gastrectomy with at least a D1 lymphoadenectomy and were randomly assigned to receive surgery alone or surgery followed by chemotherapy. RESULTS: A total number of 630 cycles was delivered with a median number of 5. With a median follow-up of 60 months, the 5-year overall survival (OS) was 48% in the treatment arm and 43.5% in the control arm [hazard ratio (HR) 0.91; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.69-1.21; P = 0.610); the 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) was 44% in the treatment arm and 39% in the control arm (HR 0.88; 95% CI 0.78-0.91; P = 0.305). In node-positive patients, the 5-year OS was 41% in the treatment arm and 34% in the control arm (HR 0.84; 95% CI 0.69-1.01; P = 0.068), while the 5-year DFS was 39% in the treatment arm and 31% in the control arm (HR 0.88; 95% CI 0.78-0.91; P = 0.051). The most common grade 3-4 toxic effects according to World Health Organization criteria were hematological and gastrointestinal. CONCLUSIONS: In radically resected gastric cancer patients, adjuvant chemotherapy with ELFE regimen does not improve OS over surgery alone.

Concurrent radiotherapy does not affect adjuvant CMF delivery but is associated with increased toxicity in women with early breast cancer.

We evaluated whether concurrent radiotherapy (RT) affected delivery and toxicity of adjuvant intravenous CMF (cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil) in women with operable breast cancer. The medical charts of 321 consecutive breast cancer patients who received CMF either alone for 6 cycles, or for 4 cycles following of an anthracycline (A-CMF) were reviewed. One hundred forty-four women underwent radiotherapy concurrently with CMF. Optimal CMF delivery (success as opposite to failure) was defined as the combined achievement of an average relative dose intensity (aRDI) > or = 85% and an average percent of the total dose (aPTD) > or = 90% for the three drugs in the CMF regimen. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that concurrent-RT did not affect CMF delivery (OR for success 1.391 p=0.230). The sequential A-CMF regimen (OR for success 0.208, 95% C.I. 0.120-0.360, p<0.001) and age > or = 56 (OR for success 0.351, 95% C.I. 0.200-0.161, p<0.001) were independently associated with suboptimal CMF delivery. Moreover, concurrent RT was independently associated with increased leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, upper abdominal pain, mucositis and fatigue. Our retrospective analysis suggests that concurrent-RT has no impact on optimal CMF delivery, but it increases the burden of CMF-related toxicity.