Effect of paclitaxel combined with fluorouracil on levels of tumor markers and immune function in patients with advanced gastric cancer

Abstract

Objective To investigate the effect of paclitaxel combined with fluorouracil on tumor markers and immune function in patients with advanced gastric cancer. Methods The clinical data of 96 patients with advanced gastric cancer treated in our hospital from April, 2016 to August, 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. According to different treatment schemes, the patients were divided into a control group (taxol + capecitabine, 48 cases) and an observation group (taxol + fluorouracil, 48 cases). The tumor markers [carcino embryonic antigen (CEA), carbonhydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9), and cytokeratin-19-fragment (CYFRA21-1)] and changes in immune function were compared between the two groups before and after treatment. Results After three cycles of treatment, the contents of CEA, CA19-9, and CYFRA21-1 in the observation group were (21.11±3.56) ng/ml, (32.57±4.91) U/ml, and (4.55±1.82) ng/ml, which were lower than those in the control group [(33.25±4.28) ng/ml, (50.96±6.18) U/ml, and (7.01±2.17) ng/ml; all P 0.05). Conclusion Compared with paclitaxel combined with capecitabine, paclitaxel combined with fluorouracil can effectively regulate the immune function of patients with advanced gastric cancer and help control the content of tumor markers. Key words: Advanced gastric cancer; Paclitaxel; Fluorouracil; Capecitabine; CEA; CA19-9; CYFRA21-1; Immune function