Adjuvant FOLFOX-4 in patients with radically resected gastric cancer: Tolerability and prognostic factors

: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the toxicity and efficacy of the FOLFOX-4 regimen as adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with gastric cancer after radical surgery. Fifty-four patients (1 stage Ib, 6 stage II, 22 stage IIIa, 14 stage IIIb and 11 stage IV) received 8-12 cycles of FOLFOX-4 (oxaliplatin 85 mg/m(2), Day 1; leucovorin 100 mg/m(2) i.v., Days 1 and 2; 5-fluorouracil 400 mg/m(2) i.v. bolus, Days 1 and 2 and 600 mg/m(2) in 22 h i.v. continuous infusion, Days 1 and 2; every 14 days). Toxicity was recorded at each cycle according to the National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria. Disease-free (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were calculated according to the Kaplan-Meier method. Thirty-eight patients (70.4%) completed the prescribed number of cycles of chemotherapy. The toxicity was mild. Grade 3-4 neutropenia occurred in 57% of patients, thrombocytopenia and anemia in 2% of cases. Peripheral neuropathy was experienced by 46% of the patients (grade 4 in 2% of cases). Five patients experienced grade 3 gastrointestinal toxicity. After a median follow-up of 33.1 months, 17 patients relapsed and 17 succumbed to the disease. The mean observed DFS and OS were 49.7 months (range 40.7-58.8) and 57.9 months (range 49.6-66.2), respectively. At univariate analysis, females and patients who had received <8 cycles of chemotherapy had a significantly worse probability of DFS and OS. The Cox model showed gender to be independent of the factors affecting DFS. Adjuvant FOLFOX-4 is feasible and well-tolerated in patients radically resected for gastric cancer. Receiving <4 months of adjuvant FOLFOX-4 could be detrimental to prognosis.