[Co-administration of adriamycin and 5-fluorouracil for the treatment of advanced stomach cancer].

Twenty-one patients with advanced gastric cancer were treated with a combination chemotherapy of adriamycin and 5-fluorouracil (AF). The AF regimen consisting of adriamycin 35-50 mg/m2 intravenously on day 1, 5-fluorouracil 350-500 mg/m2 intravenously on days 1-3 was repeated in every three weeks intervals. Partial response was obtained in four patients (25%) in 16 evaluable patients and responded lesions were abdominal mass and skin metastasis. Two patients had minor responses, seven had stable diseases, and three had progressive diseases. The median duration of response for responders was three months ranging one to five months and the median survival time of responders was twelve months ranging two to fourteen months, whereas that of non-responders was eight months. Moderate bone marrow suppression was seen; that is, seven (33%) out of twenty-one patients had leukopenia less than 2,000/mm3 and two (10%) out of twenty-one patients had thrombocytopenia less than 10 X 10(4)/mm3. Moderate nausea occurred in thirteen patients (62%), whereas vomiting did in nine patients (43%). Nearly total alopecia was observed in sixteen patients (76%). Based on these results, we conclude that AF regimen can be administered without severe toxicities and it is one of the useful regimens for advanced gastric cancer.