Background/aim: This study assessed the toxicity and activity of biweekly docetaxel and S-1 combination therapy in elderly patients with advanced gastric cancer.
Patients and methods: One-hundred and thirteen patients were enrolled: 35 were 75 years old or more. The objective response rate, toxicity, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) were compared.
Results: Dose reduction was significantly frequent in the elderly group (24/35 versus 25/78, p<0.001). The overall response rate was 54.9%. Out of these, 18 (15.9%) underwent gastrectomy (13 R0 gastrectomy). The median OS was 17.3 months and the median PFS was 8.0 months. Neutropenia was the most frequently observed hematological toxicity at grade 3 and 4 (34.5%), followed by leukopenia (24.8%). Most non-hematological toxicities were of grade 1 or 2. There were no significant differences in overall response rate, median OS, median PFS, or toxicities between the two groups.
Conclusion: This combination offers favourable survival benefits with controllable tolerance for therapy of AGC in the elderly.