5-Fluorouracil, adriamycin, and mitomycin C in adenocarcinoma of the esophagus or gastroesophageal junction tumors.

We reviewed our results with chemotherapy for adenocarcinoma of the esophagus or gastroesophageal junction tumors in patients treated with 5-fluorouracil, Adriamycin, and mitomycin C (FAM) regimen as developed by MacDonald and colleagues for adenocarcinoma of the stomach. Sixteen patients were treated, 12 with metastatic and 4 with locoregional disease. Responses were seen in 6 of 16 patients (all partial responses), for an overall response rate of 37.5%. The sites of response include liver (3), lung (1), bone (1), and lymph nodes (1). Median duration of response was 7 months. These results with FAM in adenocarcinoma of the esophagus suggest activity similar to that seen in gastric carcinoma. The second-generation chemotherapy combinations effective in gastric carcinoma merit evaluation in this tumor to see if the remission rates could be further improved.