Skip Navigation


Annals of Oncology Advance Access originally published online on February 13, 2009
Annals of Oncology 2009 20(6):1062-1067; doi:10.1093/annonc/mdn766
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
20/6/1062    most recent
mdn766v1
Right arrow E-letters: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when E-letters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Celio, L.
Right arrow Articles by Bajetta, E.
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Celio, L.
Right arrow Articles by Bajetta, E.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society for Medical Oncology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

gastrointestinal tumors

Pemetrexed in combination with oxaliplatin as a first-line therapy for advanced gastric cancer: a multi-institutional phase II study

L. Celio1, C. N. Sternberg2, R. Labianca3, I. La Torre4, V. Amoroso5, C. Barone6, G. Pinotti7, S. Cascinu8, F. Di Costanzo9, G. L. Cetto10 and E. Bajetta1,*

1 Medical Oncology Unit 2, Foundation IRCCS National Tumour Institute, Milan
2 Department of Medical Oncology, San Camillo Forlanini Hospital, Rome
3 Department of Medical Oncology, Reunited Hospitals, Bergamo
4 Medical Department, Eli Lilly Italy, Sesto Fiorentino
5 Department of Medical Oncology, Civil Hospitals, Brescia
6 Department of Medical Oncology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart
7 Department of Oncology, Circle's Hospital, Varese
8 Department of Medical Oncology, University Hospital, Ancona
9 Department of Medical Oncology, Careggi Hospital, Florence
10 Department of Medical Oncology, Borgo Trento Hospital, Verona

* Correspondence to: Dr E. Bajetta, Medical Oncology Unit 2, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Via G. Venezian 1, 20133 Milan, Italy. Tel: +39-02-23902500; Fax: +39-02-23902149; E-mail: emilio.bajetta{at}istitutotumori.mi.it

Background: This clinical trial assessed the efficacy of pemetrexed combined with oxaliplatin (PEMOX) in patients with advanced gastric cancer (AGC).

Patients and methods: Forty-four patients with untreated AGC were enrolled to evaluate response rate (RR). Patients received pemetrexed (500 mg/m2) with vitamin supplementation and oxaliplatin (120 mg/m2) every 21 days for six cycles or until disease progression occurred.

Results: Median age was 62 years (range 26–76). The majority of patients (93%) had metastatic disease. Sixteen of the 44 patients achieved confirmed response [RR 36%; 95% confidence interval (CI) 22% to 52%]; four complete responses and 12 partial responses (complete and partial responses according to the RECIST guidelines are the confirmed-responses observed in the study population). Median time to tumor progression (TTP) was 6.2 months (95% CI 4.3–7.5) and median survival was 10.8 months (95% CI 7.7–17.2). A total of 220 cycles were administered, with a median of six cycles. Most common grade 3/4 toxic effects were neutropenia in 41% of patients (19% of cycles) and thrombocytopenia in 11% of patients (4% of cycles). Treatment delays or dose reductions for toxicity occurred in 10% and 5% of cycles, respectively.

Conclusions: PEMOX is active and well tolerated in AGC. RR, TTP, and survival were comparable to those achieved in studies using different 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)–oxaliplatin combinations, without the inconvenience of prolonged 5-FU schedules.

Key words: advanced gastric cancer, chemotherapy, oxaliplatin, pemetrexed, phase II trial

Received for publication November 4, 2008. Revision received November 14, 2008. Accepted for publication November 25, 2008.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.