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Medical AI Inquiry: You was designed to assist in medical decision-making based on the provided user questions. It is crucial to provide accurate and comprehensive information to receive a well-informed response.  Labels: OBJECTIVE, METHODS, RESULTS. Meshes: Adenocarcinoma, Adult, Aged, Anemia, Disease-Free Survival, Female, Fluorouracil, Hemoglobins, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Multivariate Analysis, Neoplasm Metastasis, Retrospective Studies, Stomach Neoplasms.
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Is anemia the strongest prognostic factor for outcomes of 5-fluorouracil-based first-line chemotherapy in patients with advanced gastric cancer? Context: To examine the prevalence of anemia and its impact of hemoglobin (Hgb) levels in predicting outcomes of 5-fluorouracil (FU)-based first-line chemotherapy for patients with advanced gastric cancer (AGC). We collected data retrospectively from 511 consecutive patients treated with FU-based first-line chemotherapy as a routine clinical practice for AGC and followed up in two centers from 1995 to 2003. FU was given in combination with cisplatin (61%), taxanes (12%), anthracyclines (24%) and/or folinic acid (50%). Hgb values were <10 g/dl in 41%, and patients with baseline Hgb levels <10 g/dl had significantly lower response rates (9%) than patients with Hgb > or = 10 g/dl (53%; P < 0.001). In addition, Hgb < 10 g/dl served as a predictor for disease progression (RR, 1.77; 95% CI, 1.42-2.21) and death (RR, 1.85; 95% CI, 1.48-2.32) along with chemotherapy response and performance status.
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Low baseline Hgb level is a strong and independent prognostic factor for the outcomes of AGC patients receiving FU-based first-line chemotherapy. This results strongly suggest that Hgb level, along with performance status, may be considered as a stratification variable in subsequent studies of AGC. Final Decision: yes