Prognostic factors in patients with advanced HER2-positive gastric cancer treated with trastuzumab-based chemotherapy: a cohort study

Abstract Purpose Prognostic factors for the survival of patients with advanced HER2-positive gastric cancer treated with trastuzumab-based chemotherapy remain controversial. The aim of this study was to identify the clinical factors that predict prognosis in patients with advanced HER2-positive gastric cancer. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of HER2-positive gastric cancer patients treated with trastuzumab-based chemotherapy at our institution. Clinical features and laboratory test results that considered prognostic factors were re-examined. Overall survival (OS) was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Univariate analysis was performed with the log-rank test and multivariate analysis was performed using Cox’s proportional hazard regression model. Results A total of 133 patients with advanced HER2-positive gastric cancer were enrolled. The median OS in this cohort was 18.7 months. Four prognostic factors: visceral metastasis (lung or liver), levels of haemoglobin (Hb) ( 222 mg/dL), and C-reactive protein (CRP) (> 0.14 mg/dl) were identified as independent prognostic factors. The patients were placed into three groups according to their number of prognostic factors. These included low (0,1), moderate (2,3), and high (4) risk factors. The OS was separated into three categories with a median OS of 32.0, 18.7 and 10.1 months respectively. Compared to the low-risk group, hazard ratios for the moderate- and high-risk groups were 1.75 and 3.49, respectively. Conclusion Visceral metastasis and abnormal Hb, LDH, and CRP levels were associated with unfavorable OS. These findings may be beneficial for the management of advanced HER2-positive gastric cancer treated with trastuzumab-based chemotherapy.