ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Still there is no consensus on the choice of the most efficient and the least toxic chemotherapy regimen in the treatment of advanced gastric cancer. Nowadays few therapy protocols are available for treating this disease. OBJECTIVE: Study was conducted to compare the efficacy and toxicity of FAM (flurouracil, doxorubicin, mitomycin C) with CDDP and FU/FA (cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin) protocols in patients with locally advanced and metastatic gastric cancer. METHODS: This randomized study involved a group of 50 patients with locally advanced or metastatic gastric cancer, who had not previously undergone chemotherapy treatment. Progression free survival, overall survival and drug toxicity were evaluated. For statistical analysis chi-squaretest, Kaplan-Meier curve and the log rank test were used. RESULTS: The overall response rate was 20% in the group treated with FAM and 24% in the group treated with CDDP, FU/FA (4% of patients from each group had complete response), but without significant statistical difference. Median survival was 10.9 months in the FAM group and 11.8 months in CDDP, FU/FA group, with no statistically significant difference. Non-haematological and haematological toxicities of CDDP, FU/FA were considerably less frequent than of FAM, and there was no treatment related deaths in any of the groups. CONCLUSION: Both investigated regimens demonstrated moderate efficacy. The study shows in favour of justified application of both protocols, while in regard to toxicity CDDP and FU/FA can be recommended as preferable treatment for locally advanced and metastatic gastric cancer. New strategies should be considered for better efficacy in the treatment of advanced gastric cancer. New strategies are necessary with the goal to achieve a better therapeutic effect.
