Post treatment outcome and quality of life in patients with inoperable advanced gastric carcinoma

Abstract
Background: The outcome of treatment for advanced gastric carcinoma can vary depending on a number of factors, including the stage and aggressiveness of the cancer, the patient's overall health, and their response to treatment. In general, the prognosis is poor, with a median overall survival of less than one year. Quality of life (QOL) is an important consideration for patients with advanced gastric carcinoma, as they may experience a range of symptoms such as pain, fatigue, and difficulty eating. This study aimed to evaluate the post-treatment outcomes and QOL in patients with inoperable advanced gastric carcinoma after treatment with cisplatin-capecitabine and with oxaliplatin-capecitabine. Methods: This Quasi-experimental study was conducted at the department of oncology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib medical university, Dhaka, Bangladesh. The study duration was 1 year, from February 2021 to March 2022. During this period, a total of 64 cases of advanced gastric cancer were divided in two equal groups, arm A who had received cisplatin capecitabine, and arm B who received oxaliplatin capecitabine. Result: The mean age at diagnosis was 55.85 and 56.76 respectively. The majority of the patients, 43.8% in arm A and 50% in arm B, ranged in age from 61 to 70. The gender distribution was similar, 78% and 69% of patients in arm A and B respectively were male. Both groups had the majority of patients receiving an ECOG performance rating of 2, with 68.8% in arm A and 59.4% in arm B, and the liver being the most common metastatic site for 56.3% in arm A and 50.0% in arm B. The most frequent risk factor was Helicobacter pylori infection, observed in 68.8% of arm A and 78.1% of arm B. The most common primary tumor site was the antrum, with 50% and 53.1% patients in arm A and B respectively had the primary tumor in the antrum of the stomach. Conclusions: In inoperable advanced gastric cancer, the cisplatin-capecitabine regimen is equally effective as oxaliplatin-capecitabine in terms of disease outcome. Furthermore, the cisplatin-capecitabine regimen is less costly than the combination of oxaliplatin-capecitabine, and provides almost similar QOL. As a result, the cisplatin-capecitabine regimen could be utilized as an alternate choice in patients who are unable to afford an oxaliplatin-based regimen.
Description
Keywords
Carcinoma, Gastric, Capecitabine, Oxaliplatin, Cisplatin
Citation
Hasan Major Tariq, Sarkar Gopal Chandra, Rahman Mizanur, Alam Kaoser, Shams Mohammad Jahan, Rahman Mahfuzar, Kundu Suman. Post treatment outcome and quality of life in patients with inoperable advanced gastric carcinoma. International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences. 2023 Mar; 11(3): 758-762