Efficacy and safety of XELOX and FOLFOX6 adjuvant chemotherapy following radical total gastrectomy.

The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of capecitabine and oxaliplatin (XELOX) with 5-fluorouracil, folinic acid and oxaliplatin (FOLFOX6) for advanced gastric cancer following total gastrectomy. We performed a retrospective study of 148 gastric cancer patients undergoing total gastrectomy combined with adjuvant chemotherapy from January, 2003 to June, 2009. The follow-up lasted until December, 2010. The Chi-square test and Kaplan-Meier methods were employed to compare the adverse events and prognosis. The total 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates were 95, 80 and 32%, respectively, and there was no significant difference between the two groups (P=0.273). Similarly, the total incidence of side effects was similar, but each treatment was associated with unique disturbances. The number of patients developing hand-foot syndrome in the XELOX group was far higher compared to the FOLFOX6 group (P=0.000). By contrast, more patients in the FOLFOX6 group suffered from nausea (P=0.024), vomiting (P=0.029), alopecia (P=0.033) and peripheral phlebitis (P=0.004). The total completion rate of the XELOX group was higher compared to the FOLFOX6 group (P=0.015). No significant difference was found in the prognosis of patients receiving XELOX therapy or FOLFOX6 therapy following total gastrectomy. XELOX was, however, more tolerable for patients with total gastrectomy.