Introduction: Gastric cancer remains one of the world’s most commonly
diagnosed cancers. Standard treatment for highly Advanced
Gastric Cancer (AGC) has not been established yet. NeoAdjuvant
Chemotherapy (NAC) represents a promising approach, which may improve
the prognosis of AGC.
Methods: Results for a series of 30 consecutive patients with AGC
treated with ECF induction chemotherapy since January 2008 were
analyzed retrospectively.
Results: The primary tumor was resected in 23 of the 30 patients
(resectability, 85.2%). Progression of the disease during chemotherapy
was observed in 1 patient only (3,3%). No treatment-related deaths occurred,
and serious adverse effects (grade 3-4) were noted in only 13,3
% of the patients. Curative (R0) resection was possible in 20 patients.
The downstaging rate was 86.9% (20/23), resulting in a significantly
improved prognosis for the downstaged patients (P = 0.012).
Conclusion: Induction chemotherapy for AGC appears to be well
tolerated, safe and promising treatment.
