Second-line chemotherapy using taxane in patients with advanced gastric cancer who presented with severe peritoneal metastasis: A multicenter retrospective study

Background: Individuals with advanced gastric cancer (AGC) who present with severe peritoneal metastasis (SPM) have poor prognosis, and the need to improve treatment for such condition and survival time is not met. Moreover, there are only few data about the second-line treatment for patients with such condition. Methods This retrospective study included patients receiving taxane-based second-line chemotherapy at three institutions in Japan between 2010 and 2016. Patients with AGC who present with SPM were included if they had massive ascites and/or inadequate oral intake requiring intravenous nutritional support. The efficacy and safety of the treatment were evaluated. Results In the present study, 43 (40%) of 108 patients had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status score > 2, and the median serum albumin level of the patients was 3.3 g/mL. Ramucirumab was used in combination with paclitaxel in 21 patients. The median overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were 5.1 and 2.8 months, respectively. Inadequate oral intake was considered a negative prognostic factor of both OS and PFS in the multivariate analysis. Three treatment-related deaths were observed, which include those attributed to febrile neutropenia, gastrointestinal perforation, and pneumonitis. Common grade > 3 adverse events were neutropenia (35%), leukopenia (30%), anemia (24%), and anorexia (16%). We observed febrile neutropenia in 8% and gastrointestinal perforation in 4% of patients, and such conditions were primarily observed in patients with inadequate oral intake. Conclusions Taxane-based second-line chemotherapy was effective and safe for patients with AGC who present with SPM. Attention must be provided when treating patients with inadequate oral intake as they are likely to have short prognosis and serious toxicities.