Therapy of advanced gastric carcinoma: the Georgetown-Lombardi cancer center experience

Gastric carcinoma, despite a decreasing incidence in the United States over the past 40 years, is the seventh most common cause of cancer death in this country and remains a significant worldwide problem. The 5-fluorouracil, Adriamycin (doxorubicin), and mitomycin (FAM) chemotherapy regimen, which was initially reported by Georgetown in 1979, has become a standard for advanced gastric carcinoma with response rates in the 40% range. The FAM regimen as well as subsequent trials conducted at Georgetown and our current approach to management of this tumor are discussed. Despite a decade of intensive clinical research, we have not identified a modification or innovation that is superior to the original FAM.