Efficacy and safety of docetaxel, cisplatin and fluorouracil regimen compared with epirubicin, cisplatin and fluorouracil regimen for gastric carcinoma: a meta-analysis

Gastric cancer (GC) is currently the second leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. By searching the PubMed, Embase and CNKI databases, we conducted a meta-analysis to determine the efficacy and safety of docetaxel, cisplatin and fluorouracil (DCF) regimen compared with epirubicin, cisplatin and fluorouracil (ECF) regimen for gastric carcinoma. Studies were pooled, and the relative risk (RR) and its corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated. Version 12.0 STATA software was used for statistical analysis. Nine relevant articles were included for this meta-analysis study. We observed that the partial response (PR) (RR = 1.26, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.58) and the overall response rate (ORR) (RR = 1.24, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.50) in gastric carcinoma patients treatment with DCF was significantly improved than that with ECF. There was no significant difference in the incidence of hemoglobin decline, neutropenia and thrombocytopenia, however, the incidence of leukocytopenia in GC patients treatment with DCF is significantly higher than that with ECF. And the incidence of peripheral neuritis in GC patients with DCF was significantly higher than that with ECF (RR = 10.26, 95% CI: 3.94 similar to 26.76; P=0.506, I-2=0%). There was no significant difference in stomatitis, nausea-vomiting and diarrhea. In conclusion, this meta-analysis indicated that Docetaxel based treatment (DCF) showed better palliation and improvement of overall response rate (ORR) as compared with epirubicin based treatment (ECF). The chemotherapy-related toxicity of DCF regimen is acceptable to some extent. The current study, therefore, provides valuable information to help physicians make treatment decisions for their patients with GC.