The clinical course of 55 patients with metastatic adenocarcinoma of the gastrointestinal tract treated with FU or FUDR was evaluated. Of these, the neoplasm arose in the stomach in 18, colon in 17, and pancreas in 20. An attempt was made to assess length of survival in patients who achieved remission.
Of the 18 patients with primary stomach carcinoma, 11 derived no objective benefit from chemotherapy, and in 3 preterminal patients, complications of chemotherapy contributed to their deaths. Seven patients responded to chemotherapy, as evidenced by significant (> 50%) decrease in tumor size, and clinical improvement. Of the seven patients,