High-dose chemotherapy with autologous bone marrow transplantation in the treatment of advanced gastric cancer.
Clinical usefulness of high-dose chemotherapy with autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT) in the treatment of gastric cancer was investigated. Ten patients with late-stage gastric cancer (four recurrent and six primary cases) with measurable lesions were treated with high-dose combination therapy consisting of etoposide (VP-16) (1200 mg/m2), adriamycin (80 mg/m2), and cisplatin (120 mg/m2) or carboplatin (900 mg/m2) (high-dose etoposide, adriamycin, and cisplatin [EAP] therapy). Afterward, 1 x 10(7)/kg of mononuclear cells, which were prepared from autologous bone marrow before treatment and cryopreserved, were transfused intravenously. All patients recovered from the aplastic period without severe complications. Of nine assessable cases, partial response was observed in eight (89% response rate). High-dose EAP therapy with ABMT is recommended as adjuvant therapy accompanied with radical operation for late-stage gastric cancer.