Capecitabine and Oxaliplatin Are Effective in Advanced Gastric Cancer

Conventional chemotherapy for metastatic gastric cancer entails a 4- to 5-day infusion of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) plus cisplatin, with a response rate of about 25% and a median survival rate of 7 to 8 months. Three-drug combinations — adding either epirubicin or docetaxel (Taxotere) to 5-FU plus cisplatin — result in modest increases in response rates (35%–45%) and survival (about 9 months), at the cost of increased toxicity. These regimens require central venous access for delivery of continuous-infusion 5-FU.

In a large phase III trial, U.K. researchers compared conventional epirubicin, cisplatin, and 5-FU (ECF) to regimens in which oral capecitabine (Xeloda) was substituted for 5-FU (ECX), oxaliplatin (Eloxatin) was substituted for cisplati…