BACKGROUNDGastric cancer is one of the most common types of malignant tumors in China and East Asia and has the highest mortality rate of the malignant gastrointestinal tumors. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is a systemic or local chemotherapy that is given prior to the local treatment of malignant tumors. Neoadjuvant therapy is currently showing some positive prospects; however, its clinical effects remain controversial. In this study, we used the modified FOLFOX7 (mFOLFOX7) regimen as a neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimen. Perioperative clinical and pathological efficacy, toxicity, effects of surgery, postoperative observation, and prognosis were studied to investigate its clinical efficacy and safety.

METHODSEighty patients with advanced gastric cancer were treated in our surgery department from 2005 to 2009; 38 of these patients received mFOLFOX7 neoadjuvant chemotherapy, the other 42 patients assigned to the control group. The perioperative effects of mFOLFOX7 chemotherapy, including clinical effects and toxicity, were observed in each patient.

RESULTSAfter mFOLFOX7 chemotherapy, clinical and pathologic stages decreased in 21.1% and 36.8% of the patients, respectively, but the results were not statistically significant (P = 0.129). The clinical response rate was 50% (19/38). Toxicity was mild; most adverse events were grade I or II and involved no severe infections or deaths. Compared with the control group, the radical resection rate increased (92.1% vs. 85.7%; P = 0.437); surgical effects were completed without an increased incidence of perioperative complications. The 1-, 2-, and 3-year survival rates were 78.70%, 57.40%, and 51.66%, respectively, in the neoadjuvant chemotherapy group and 78.57%, 56.87%, and 43.16%, respectively, in the control group.

CONCLUSIONSThe mFOLFOX7 regimen was very effective and well-tolerated as a neoadjuvant chemotherapy for advanced gastric cancer. However, the 1-, 2-, and 3-year survival rates in the mFOLFOX7 group were not significantly different from the control group.

Adult ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Fluorouracil ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Leucovorin ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoadjuvant Therapy ; adverse effects ; methods ; Organoplatinum Compounds ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Stomach Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; surgery

Oxaliplatin with 5-fluorouracil plus leucovorin (FOLFOX) has become the standard treatment in patients with colorectal cancer. Among known toxicities induced by oxaliplatin, hematological, gastrointestinal and neurological toxicities are common. However, acute pulmonary toxicity associated with oxaliplatin is unusual. One case of interstitial lung disease associated with the FOLFOX protocol is reported here.
Aged ; Antineoplastic Agents/*adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; Colorectal Neoplasms/drug therapy ; Fluorouracil/*adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Humans ; Leucovorin/*adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Lung Diseases, Interstitial/chemically induced/*etiology/radiography ; Male ; Organoplatinum Compounds/*adverse effects/therapeutic use

Oxaliplatin with 5-fluorouracil plus leucovorin (FOLFOX) has become the standard treatment in patients with colorectal cancer. Among known toxicities induced by oxaliplatin, hematological, gastrointestinal and neurological toxicities are common. However, acute pulmonary toxicity associated with oxaliplatin is unusual. One case of interstitial lung disease associated with the FOLFOX protocol is reported here.
Aged ; Antineoplastic Agents/*adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; Colorectal Neoplasms/drug therapy ; Fluorouracil/*adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Humans ; Leucovorin/*adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Lung Diseases, Interstitial/chemically induced/*etiology/radiography ; Male ; Organoplatinum Compounds/*adverse effects/therapeutic use

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the efficacy and safety of yiqi zhuyu decoction (YZD) combined with oxaliplatin plus 5-flurouracil/leucovorin (FOLFOX-4) in the patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (MCRC).

METHODSA total of 120 patients with MCRC were randomly divided into the experimental group (FOLFOX-4 plus YZD, 60 cases) and the control group (FOLFOX-4 plus placebo, 60 cases), according to the sequence of hospitalization from January 2005 to December 2007. The treatment was supposed to be continued until disease progression (PD) or for 48 weeks (i.e., up to 24 cycles of FOLFOX-4). Response rate (RR), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) and adverse events (AEs) were observed.

RESULTSRR was 41.5% in the experimental group and 34.0% in the control group [odds ratio (OR): 1.18, 95% CI: 0.77 to 1.82, P=0.432]. Median PFS were 9.0 months and 8.0 months, respectively [hazard ratio (HR): 0.78, 95% CI: 0.53 to 1.15, P=0.215]. Median OS were 21.0 months and 18.0 months (HR: 0.65, 95% CI: 0.43 to 0.99, P=0.043) and grade 3/4 AEs were 56.6% and 76.7% (OR: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.18 to 0.87, P=0.020), respectively.

CONCLUSIONSYZD combined with FOLFOX-4 chemotherapy significantly improved OS in this first-line trial in the patients with MCRC and significantly decreased grade 3/4 AEs. However, RR was not improved, and PFS did not reach statistical significance by the addition of YZD. The treatment of YZD combined with FOLFOX-4 may be necessary in order to optimize efficacy and safety.

Antineoplastic Agents ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Disease-Free Survival ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Fluorouracil ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Intention to Treat Analysis ; Leucovorin ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Organoplatinum Compounds ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Patient Dropouts ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo analyze and evaluate the clinical efficacy of heat-sensitive moxibustion for symptoms of large intestine cancer.

METHODSSixty patients with large intestine cancer were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, 30 cases in each one. FOLFOX chemotherapy regimen was used in the two groups,and heat-sensitive moxibustion was added in the observation group. The acupoints were Zusanli(ST 36), Sanyinjiao (SP 6) Xuehai (SP 10) and Geshu (BL 17), etc. The treatment was applied once a day,five-day treatment as one course. Four courses were required. The reaction rates of uncomfortable symptoms by the Chinese version of the M. D. Anderson symptom inventory (MDASI-C) scale and clinical effects were analyzed and evaluated in the two groups.

RESULTSAfter treatment, the MDASI-C reaction rate of uncomfortable symptoms in the observation group was 50.4% which was lower than 53.3% in the control group (P < 0.05). The total effective rate of symptom improvement in the observation group was 83.3% (25/30), which was higher than 60.0% (18/30) in the control group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONHeat-sensitive moxibustion can improve symptoms of chemotherapy for large intestine cancer.

Aged ; Antineoplastic Agents ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions ; etiology ; therapy ; Female ; Fluorouracil ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Intestine, Large ; drug effects ; Leucovorin ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Moxibustion ; instrumentation ; Organoplatinum Compounds ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Treatment Outcome

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of irinotecan based FOLFIRI chemotherapy as a second-line treatment after failure of FOLFOX-4 chemotherapy in patients with advanced gastric cancer. METHODS: Fifty-two patients who were pathologically diagnosed with unresectable gastric cancer and received FOLFIRI chemotherapy after failure of FOLFOX-4 chemotherapy between September 2005 and February 2012 were enrolled in this study. Data were collected by retrospectively reviewing the medical records. The response to chemotherapy was assessed every 3 cycles by World Health Organization criteria and long term survival was analyzed. The toxicities were evaluated for every course of chemotherapy according to National Cancer Institution (NCI) toxicity criteria version 3.0. RESULTS: Median age of the patients was 57 years. Median overall survival (OS) and time to progression (TTP) were 7.8 and 5 months, respectively. The number of patients showing complete remission, partial remission, stable disease, and progressive disease were 0 (0.0%), 9 (17.3%), 30 (57.7%), and 13 (25.0%), respectively. The overall response rate was 17.3%. During a total of 345 cycles, anemia worse than NCI toxicity grade 3 occurred in 2.9%, leukopenia in 20.3%, neutropenia in 12.2%, and thrombocytopenia in 1.5%. Patients with less organ involvement by metastasis, less than 34 U/mL of CA 19-9 and good responsiveness to third cycle of second line chemotherapy were associated with longer OS and TTP. CONCLUSIONS: FOLFIRI chemotherapy has a modest efficacy with acceptable toxicities in patients with advanced gastric cancer as a second-line treatment. Further well-controlled studies are needed to elucidate the efficacy of FOLFIRI chemotherapy as second-line treatment in patients with advanced stomach cancer.
Adult ; Aged ; Anemia/etiology ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/adverse effects/*therapeutic use ; Camptothecin/adverse effects/*analogs & derivatives/therapeutic use ; Disease Progression ; Female ; Fluorouracil/adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Humans ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Leucovorin/adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Organoplatinum Compounds/adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms/*drug therapy/mortality/pathology ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo study the influence of kang'ai injection on quality of life among gastrointestinal cancer chemotherapy patients.

METHODFourty-two gastrointestinal cancer patients were randomly divided into the treatment group (n=22) and the control group (n=20). The treatment group was treated with chemotherapy and kang'ai injection, and the control group was only treated with chemotherapy. Their quality of life, improvement of clinical symptoms and adverse effects were observed.

RESULTThe disease control rates of the treatment group and the control group were 91% and 30% ,while their effective rates of KPS were 59% and 30% respectively. They had one case and six cases with side effects above III degree.

CONCLUSIONKang'ai injection can mitigate syndromes of gastrointestinal cancer chemotherapy patient, improve their quality of life and have an effect of reducing toxic and enhancing efficacy for chemotherapy.

Aged ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Case-Control Studies ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Fluorouracil ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Gastrointestinal Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Humans ; Leucovorin ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Organoplatinum Compounds ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Treatment Outcome

Agranulocytosis ; chemically induced ; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Camptothecin ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; analogs & derivatives ; therapeutic use ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Diarrhea ; chemically induced ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm ; Fluorouracil ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Leucovorin ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Neoplasm Staging ; Survival Analysis

OBJECTIVETo compare the efficacy, time to disease progression (TTP), overall survival (OS) and toxicity of FOLFOX6 and TLF regimens for advanced gastric cancer.

METHODSThe clinical data of 81 chemotherapy-naive patients with advanced gastric cancer were analyzed. Of the 81 patients, 41 were treated with FOLFOX6 regimen and 40 with TLF regimen. The patients in FOLFOX6 group received intravenous infusion of L-OHP(100 mg/m2) at day 1, bolus injection of 5-FU (400 mg/m2) at day 1, and continuous intravenous infusion of 5-FU (1200 mg/m2/d) for 22 h at days 1-2, each treatment cycle lasting 14 days. The patients in TCF group received TAX (90 mg/m2) at day 1, bolus injection of 5-FU (400 mg/m2) at days 1-2, and continuous intravenous infusion of 5-FU (400 mg/m2/d) for 22 h at days 1-2, and each treatment cycle also lasted 14 days.

RESULTSThe objective response rates were 48.8% in FOLFOX6 group and 50.0% in TLF group (P=0.962). The median TTP in the two groups was 6.30 months and 6.50 months (P=0.958), with median survival time of 9.80 months and 10.70 months (P=0.578), respectively. The most frequent adverse events were nausea, vomiting and hematologic toxicities. The incidences of grade III-IV leucopenia and neutropenia were lower in FOLFOX6 group than in TLF group, but the difference was not statistically significant (12.2% vs 30.0%, P=0.112; 14.6% vs 32.5%, P=0.126). Three patients in FOLFOX6 group developed intestinal obstruction during the chemotherapy.

CONCLUSIONBoth FOLFOX6 and TLF regimens are effective in treating advanced gastric cancer and the toxicities can be tolerated.

Adenocarcinoma ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Disease Progression ; Female ; Fluorouracil ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Leucovorin ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Organoplatinum Compounds ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Stomach Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Survival Analysis ; Taxoids ; administration & dosage

BACKGROUND: Chemotherapy is a common treatment for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma, but the effect is not satisfactory. The study aimed to retrospectively evaluate the effects of adding all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) to infusional fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin (FOLFOX4) for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: We extracted the data of patients with advanced HCC who underwent systemic chemotherapy using FOLFOX4 or ATRA plus FOLFOX4 at the Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, First Hospital of Jilin University, and Zhejiang Sian International Hospital and retrospectively compared for overall survival. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to calculate the hazard ratios for overall survival and disease progression after controlling for age, sex, and disease stage. RESULTS: From July 2013 to July 2018, 111 patients with HCC were included in this study. The median survival duration was 14.8 months in the ATRA plus FOLFOX4 group and 8.2 months in the FOLFOX4 only group ( P  < 0.001). The ATRA plus FOLFOX4 group had a significantly longer median time to progression compared with the FOLFOX4 group (3.6 months vs. 1.8 months, P  < 0.001). Hazard ratios for overall survival and disease progression were 0.465 (95% confidence interval: 0.298-0.726; P  = 0.001) and 0.474 (0.314-0.717; P  < 0.001) after adjusting for potential confounders, respectively. CONCLUSION ATRA plus FOLFOX4 significantly improves the overall survival and time to disease progression in patients with advanced HCC.
Humans ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/drug therapy* ; Retrospective Studies ; Liver Neoplasms/pathology* ; Oxaliplatin/therapeutic use* ; Fluorouracil/adverse effects* ; Disease Progression ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use* ; Leucovorin/adverse effects* ; Colorectal Neoplasms/drug therapy*