Results of irradiation or chemoirradiation for primary unresectable, locally recurrent, or grossly incomplete resection of gastric adenocarcinoma.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the results of irradiation +/- chemotherapy for patients with unresectable gastric carcinoma.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The records of 60 patients with a gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma and a locally advanced unresectable primary (n = 28), a local or regional recurrence (n = 21), or gross residual disease following incomplete resection (n = 11) were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were treated with external beam irradiation (EBRT) alone or external beam plus intraoperative irradiation (IOERT), and 55 of the 60 (92%) patients received 5-FU based chemotherapy.

RESULTS

The median survival for the entire cohort was 11.6 months. There was no significant difference in median survival between each of the three treatment groups. In examining the extent of disease there was a significant difference in survival based on the number of sites involved. Nine patients with disease limited to a single non-nodal site appeared to represent a favorable subgroup compared to the rest of the patients (median survival of 21.8 months vs. 10.2 months,p = 0.03). In the patients with recurrent disease, the number of sites involved (p = 0.05), and total dose adding external beam dose to IOERT dose (> 54 Gy vs. < or =54 Gy, p = 0.06) were of borderline significance in regard to survival.

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with either primary unresectable, locally or regionally recurrent, or incompletely resected gastric carcinoma, the overall survival is similar, and related to the extent of disease based on the number of regional sites involved. The patients with a single non-nodal site of disease represent a favorable subgroup and patients with recurrent disease may benefit from total irradiation doses > 54 Gy.