Weekly Paclitaxel as Second-line Chemotherapy in Japanese Patients with Advanced Gastric Cancer

Aim: The use of weekly paclitaxel (wPTX) has become a common practice as second-line chemotherapy in Japanese patients with advanced gastric cancer. The aim of the present study was to assess the efficacy of wPTX. Patients and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from 229 patients with advanced gastric cancer who received wPTX as second-line chemotherapy between March 2001 and January 2011 at our hospital. Patients received PTX at a dose of 80 mg/m(2) on days I, 8, 15 of a 28-day cycle. Response and survival were evaluated. Results: The overall response rate was 12.5% in 96 patients who had measurable lesions that were assessable for response. In 107 patients who had malignant ascites, the response rate for therapy of ascites was 383%. The median progression-free survival was 3.6 months, and the median overall survival was 63 months. Multivariate analysis revealed that the number of metastatic sites [hazard ratio (HR)=1.56, p=0.009], bone metastasis (HR=2.11, p=0.006), ascites (HR 1.75, p<0.001), and the presence of the primary lesion (HR=1.77, p<0.001) were independent prognostic factors of poor survival. Conclusion: wPTX is an effective regimen for advanced gastric cancer refractory to first-line chemotherapy.