Thymidine phosphorylase expression is useful in selecting adjuvant chemotherapy for stage III gastric cancer

Int J Oncol. 2001 Oct;19(4):717-22. doi: 10.3892/ijo.19.4.717.

Abstract

Thymidine phosphorylase (TP) is an enzyme which converts doxifluridine (5'-DFUR) to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). To assess whether TP expression is useful for selecting adjuvant chemotherapy in advanced gastric cancer, we compared effects of oral 5'-DFUR and 5-FU and assessed correlation between drug efficacy and TP expression level. We examined TP expression in 286 patients. TP expression was assessed with immunohistochemical staining. When we compared prognosis in two chemotherapy groups with high TP expression, better survival was observed in 5'-DFUR than in 5-FU group (p=0.0413). Especially in stage III, patients with high TP had better survival in 5'-DFUR than in 5-FU group.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / therapeutic use*
  • Chemotherapy, Adjuvant
  • Disease-Free Survival
  • Female
  • Floxuridine / therapeutic use*
  • Fluorouracil / therapeutic use*
  • Humans
  • Immunoenzyme Techniques
  • Lymphatic Metastasis
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neoplasm Staging
  • Stomach Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Stomach Neoplasms / enzymology*
  • Stomach Neoplasms / mortality
  • Stomach Neoplasms / pathology
  • Survival Rate
  • Thymidine Phosphorylase / metabolism*
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic
  • Floxuridine
  • Thymidine Phosphorylase
  • Fluorouracil
  • doxifluridine