Fluoropyrimidine with or without platinum as first-line chemotherapy in patients with advanced gastric cancer and severe peritoneal metastasis: a multicenter retrospective study

There is no standard first-line chemotherapy for advanced gastric cancer with severe peritoneal metastasis. Although fluoropyrimidine is often used, its efficacy is limited, and it remains unclear whether combination therapy with platinum improves clinical outcomes. This retrospective study involved patients at six Japanese academic hospitals between 2010 and 2016. Patients with advanced gastric cancer and severe peritoneal metastasis were included if they had massive ascites and/or inadequate oral intake requiring intravenous nutritional support. We then compared the efficacy and safety of fluoropyrimidine monotherapy with those of fluoropyrimidine/platinum combination therapy. Compared with the combination therapy group (n = 64), the monotherapy group (n = 65) had worse general health (more patients with elderly age, performance status > 2, and having both massive ascites and inadequate oral intake). Both overall survival (9.0 vs 5.0 months, p