Postsurgical sequential methotrexate, fluorouracil, and leucovorin for stages 3 and 4 gastric carcinoma: A preliminary study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

The present study compared the effects of sequential methotrexate and fluorouracil followed by leucovorin rescue (MFL), as an adjuvant chemotherapy vs. UFT (a combination of uracil and tegafur), on patient survival and recurrence following surgery for advanced gastric carcinoma.

METHODS

Between July 1990 and June 1998, a total of 54 patients with advanced gastric cancer were treated postoperatively by adjuvant chemotherapy using MFL or UFT. Surgical treatment was performed according to standardized procedures for radical resection of gastric cancer. The patients were stratified into two groups following surgery. The MFL regimen consisted of methotrexate (100 mg/m2) and 5-fluorouracil (600 mg/m2) at hour 3, followed by leucovorin rescue. The oral UFT (375 mg/m2/day), a combination of tegafur and uracil in a molar ratio of 1:4, was continued for 3 years or longer depending on the patients tolerance.

RESULTS

In stage 3 gastric cancer, the overall survival rates following surgery was significantly (p < 0.05) higher in the MFL than the UFT group. Difference in disease free survival was not statistically significant between the groups. Recurrence rates showed a trend (p = 0.08) to decrease in the MFL than the UFT group. In stage 4 gastric cancer, no significant difference was obtained in the overall survival rates between the groups.

CONCLUSIONS

The present results suggested the superiority of MFL treatment for improving postoperative survival in patients with advanced gastric cancer, in particular for those patients with a high risk of recurrence following potential curative resection. In patients with stage 4 gastric cancer, however, MFL treatment showed similar effects as UFT on the postsurgical survival of the patients.