Perioperative chemotherapy with docetaxel, cisplatin and capecitabine (DCX) in gastro-oesophageal adenocarcinoma: a phase II study of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Internistische Onkologie (AIO)†

This prospective multicentre phase II trial assessed the feasibility and efficacy of perioperative chemotherapy with docetaxel, cisplatin and capecitabine (DCX) in patients with gastro-oesophageal adenocarcinoma. Patients with curatively resectable adenocarcinoma of the stomach, the gastro-oesophageal junction or the lower third of the oesophagus were enrolled. Patients received docetaxel 75 mg/m(2) plus cisplatin 60 mg/m(2) (day 1), followed by oral capecitabine 1875 mg/m(2) divided into two doses (days 1-14) every 3 weeks. There were three cycles preoperatively and three cycles postoperatively. The primary end point was the R0 resection rate. Fifty-one patients were recruited and assessed for feasibility and efficacy. 94.1% of patients received all three planned cycles preoperatively, and 52.9% received three cycles postoperatively. The R0 resection rate was 90.2%. 13.7% of patients showed complete pathological remission (pCR). Toxicity was acceptably tolerable. Without prophylactic granulocyte colony-stimulating factor administration, neutropenic fever developed in 21.5% of patients preoperatively (grade 3 or 4) and in 11.1% of patients postoperatively. DCX is a safe and feasible perioperative regimen in the treatment of gastro-oesophageal adenocarcinoma with a high percentage of cycles delivered pre- and postoperatively, compared with standard practice. The high efficacy in terms of R0 resection rate and pCR is very promising.