Etoposide, epirubicin and cisplatin (EEP) combination in metastatic cancers of the cardia and the stomach. Groupe de recherche en cancérologie du Nord (GRECNO)

This study was aimed to confirm the therapeutic activity of the combination of etoposide, doxorubicin and cisplatin which has shown some clinical efficiency as first line therapy in advanced gastric cancer. Seventeen patients with metastatic gastric cancer were treated with etoposide (120 mg/m2, i.v., on day 5, 6 and 7), epirubicin (20 mg/m2, i.v., on day 1 and 7) and cisplatin (40 mg/m2, i.v., on day 2 and 8), q 4 weeks. In 16 patients evaluable for response, three (19%) obtained a partial response lasting from 93 to 360 days. Fifteen patients were evaluable for toxicity. Main toxicities > grade 2 included anemia (2/15), neutropenia (5/15), alopecia (8/15), fatigue (3/15), diarrhea (2/15), vomiting (2/15). Twenty nine per cent of severe toxic events were documented all along 52 cycles. Therefore we failed to confirm that this regimen could be of clinical efficiency in advanced gastric cancer as regards the benefits/toxicity ratio.