Α gemcitabine plus 5-fluorouracil combination inhibits gastric-cancer liver metastasis in a PDOX model: A novel treatment strategy

Background/Aim: We established a new patient-derived orthotopic xenograft (PDOX) model of gastric cancer liver metastasis and evaluated the efficacy of a novel combination chemotherapy, gemcitabine (GEM) plus 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), compared to a standard regimen of oxaliplatinum (L-OHP) plus 5-FU on the liver metastasis. Materials and Methods: Patient-derived gastric cancer was established in nude mice from the patient’s surgical tumor specimen. A single tumor fragment was implanted in the liver of nude mice. The mice with tumors were treated by GEM plus 5-FU or L-OHP plus 5-FU. Results: GEM plus 5-FU or L-OHP plus 5-FU significantly and similarly inhibited tumor growth on the liver compared to the untreated control (p=0.007, p=0.02, respectively). Conclusion: GEM plus 5-FU could be a novel future clinical alternative to L-OHP plus 5-FU in gastric cancer patients who cannot tolerate platinum drugs.