Nuevas alternativas en el tratamiento del cancer gástrico avanzado

background: chemotherapy improves survival in advanced gastric cancer. however the most active combinations have a high level of toxicity that limits their use. aim: to assess the response, toxicity and survival of patients with advanced gastric cancer, treated with oxaliplatin plus 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin (folfox-4 chemotherapy). material and methods: patients with stage ivgastric cancer, according to the american joint committee on cancer or with relapsed disease and functional capacity 0-2 of the south west oncology group, were included. folfox-4 chemotherapy was used as first or second line treatment. the response to treatment and survival were assessed. results: between 2003 and 2006, 29 patients (median age 52.5 years, 69% males) were treated. folfox-4 was given as first line treatment in 65% patients and as second line in 35%. there was a complete response in 4.6%, partial response in 68%, stable disease in 20.6% and progression in 6.8%. toxicity was observed in 51% of patients, that was hematological and non hematological grade 3/4 in 14%. median survival was 12.5 months. conclusions: folfox-4 chemotherapy was active in advanced gastric cancer and had a low level of toxicity