Combined Treatment of Residual, Recurrent and Unresectable gastric Cance

Bae, Hoon Sik

Abstract

A series of 25 patients with residual, recurrent, and unresectable gastric cancer received various combination of surgery, radiotherapy (RT), chemotherapy (CT), and hyperthermia (HT). They were placed into 7 categories; 1) CT and HT-14 patients; 2) RT and HT-15 patients; 3) surgery, RT and HT-2 patients; 4) surgery, RT, HT and CT-1 patient; 5) RT, HT and CT-1 patient; 6) RT and CT-1 patient; 7) RT alone-1 patient. Three patients had curative resection. 21 patients received irradiation with tightly contoured portals to spare as much small bowel, kidney and marrow as possible. Hyperthermia was applied regionally once or twice a week for 23 patients using 8 MHz radiofrequency capacitive heating device (Thermotron RF-8). HT was given approximately 30 min after RT. 7 patients were treated with CT: 4 patients received HT and concomitant Mitomycin-C; 3 patients received HT and sequential 5-FU+Adriamycin+Mitomycin-C. There was not any treatment related deaths. There was also no evidence of treatment related problems with liver, kidney, stomach, or spinal cord except only one case of transient diabetic ketoacidosis. The tumor response was evaluable in 22 patients. None achieved complete remission. 11(50%) achieved partial remission. The response rate was correlated with total radiation dose and achieved maximum temperature. 9 of 14 (64%) received more than 4000 cgy showed partial remission; especially, all 3 patients received more than 5500 cgy achieved partial response. 8 of the 12 patients (67%) who achieved maximal temperature more than 41degrees C showed partial response in comparing with 25% (2 of 8 patients, below 41degrees C). The numbers of HT, however, was not correlated with the response. 3 of the 25 patients (12%) remain alive. The one who was surgically unresectable and underwent irradiation alone is in progression of the disease with distant metastases. The remaining two patients with curative resection are alive with free of disease, 24 and 35 months, respectively. The median survival by response are11.5 months in responders and 4.6 months in non-responders.