The experience of using ELF-combination as a first-line chemotherapy for metastatic gastric cancer

The ELF-combination (etoposide, 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin) for metastatic gastric cancer is used since 1980s, but until recently, is also often used in modern chemotherapy of metastatic gastric cancer. In the modern arsenal of anticancer combinations for the treatment of metastatic gastric cancer there is a number of new modes with the incorporation of docetaxel, irinotecan, oxaliplatin and place of ELF-combination in anticancer chemotherapy of gastric cancer is unclear. In our study, we analyzed 60 medical cards of patients of the departments of clinical pharmacology and chemotherapy. We studied short-term and long-term results of treatment with a ELF-combination. All patients received 344 therapeutic cycles of chemotherapy, median number of received courses was 6 (1-6). Treatment failed to gain control over the symptoms of the disease failed in 23 (38,3%) patients. As a result of chemotherapy, 8 patients (13.3%) showed partial tumor response. 40 patients noted stabilization of the process (66.6%). For short-term results -the median overall survival was 8.4 months. Given the low toxicity, a high percentage of the disease control and control of clinical symptoms of the disease treatment chemotherapy of metastatic gastric cancer.