[The role of adjuvant chemotherapy with S-1 for gastric cancer patients].

A randomized controlled trial of adjuvant chemotherapy with S-1 for gastric cancer (ACTS-GC) demonstrated that the chemotherapy with S-1 improved the relapse-free survival and overall survival rates of patients with locally advanced gastric cancer. We examined retrospectively 47 patients with locally advanced gastric cancer, who received adjuvant chemotherapy with S-1 after curative gastrectomy. Patients who received more than 50% of the total scheduled dose of S-1 during the first 1 year after starting the chemotherapy showed a tendency to favorable outcome in terms of relapse-free survival compared with patients who received less than 50% of the dose, although no statistical significance was detected. Age did not show a significant correlation with tolerability. The number of elderly people with gastric cancer will increase in the next decade. They should be candidates for adjuvant chemotherapy on the basis of a geriatric assessment.