One discussion this week included the Medical Research Council Adjuvant Gastric Infusional Chemotherapy (MAGIC) Trial. [Current Controlled Trials number: ISRCTN93793971.]

Reference: Cunningham D, et al. Perioperative chemotherapy versus surgery alone for resectable gastroesophageal cancer. NEJM. 2006 Jul 6;355(1):11-20.

Summary: A regimen of epirubicin, cisplatin, and infused fluorouracil (ECF) improves survival among patients with incurable locally advanced or metastatic gastric adenocarcinoma. The MAGIC Trial assessed whether the addition of a perioperative regimen of ECF to surgery improves outcomes among patients with potentially curable gastric cancer.

METHODS: We randomly assigned patients with resectable adenocarcinoma of the stomach, esophagogastric junction, or lower esophagus to either perioperative  chemotherapy and surgery (250 patients) or surgery alone (253 patients). Chemotherapy consisted of three preoperative and three postoperative cycles of intravenous epirubicin (50 mg per square meter of body-surface area) and cisplatin (60 mg per square meter) on day 1, and a continuous intravenous infusion of fluorouracil (200 mg per square meter per day) for 21 days. The primary end point was overall survival.

CONCLUSIONS: In patients with operable gastric or lower esophageal adenocarcinomas, a perioperative regimen of ECF decreased tumor size and stage and significantly improved progression-free and overall survival.

(p.16)

Additional Reading: Cunningham D, et al. Perio-operative chemoterhapy with or without bevacizumab in operable oesophagogastric adenocarcinoma (UK Medical Research Council ST03): primary analysis results of a multicentre, open-label, randomised phase 2-3 trial. Lancet Oncology. 2017 Mar;18(3):357-370.  doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(17)30043-8.

[ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00450203.]