Docetaxel, Cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil (DCF) Compared with Epirubicin, Cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil (ECF) Regimens for Advanced Gastric Cancer: A Meta-analysis

Objective To evaluate the effect and toxicity of docetaxel, cisplatin, and 5-fluorouracil(DCF) compared with epirubicin, cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil(ECF) regimens for advanced gastric cancer. Methods PubMed, CNKI, CBM, Medalink and Wanfang database, and Google Scholar search, manual search were applied to select relative randomized controlled trials (RCT) of DCF and ECF regimens. Literatures were screened according to Cochrane Handbook 5.0.1 quality evaluation criteria. Metaanalysis was conducted with RevMan 5.0 software according to the methods recommended by the Cochrane Collaboration. Results Seven qualified researches involving 463 patients were included. Metaanalysis showed DCF was significantly higher than ECF for advanced gastric cancer in overall response rateOR=1.72,95%CI (1.18-2.52), P=0.005 and incidence of peripheral neuritis OR=39.43,95%CI(12.33 -126.13), P<0.00001. While, there was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of grades 3-4 neutropenia, nausea or vomiting. Most of these symptoms could be tolerated after prevention treatment. Conclusion The overall response rate and incidence of peripheral neuritis of DCF are higher than those of ECF for advanced gastric cancer, with tolerable adverse reactions.