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Objective: Docetaxel and capecitabine are active agents in advanced gastric and gastroesophageal (GE) carcinomas. This multi-institutional phase II trial evaluates the combination of docetaxel and capecitabine as first- or second-line treatment in patients with advanced gastric and GE adenocarcinomas. Methods: Patients who had received 1 or no prior chemotherapy regimens were eligible. The chemotherapy regimen consisted of a 21-day cycle with docetaxel 30 mg/m2 administered on days 1 and 8 and capecitabine 825 mg/m2 administered twice daily on days 1–14. The primary end point of the study was overall survival (OS). Results: Forty patients were enrolled in the study; 39 received treatment and were evaluable for response and toxicity. The median patient age was 61 years (range 21–84); 8 patients had received prior chemotherapy in the advanced or metastatic setting. Grade 3/4 adverse events occurred in 15 patients (38%), including diarrhea in 5 patients (13%) and hand-foot syndrome in 5 patients (13%). The overall response rate was 32% [95% confidence interval (CI) 16.7–51.4]. The median time to progression and OS were 3.4 months (95% CI 2.7–5.8) and 10.7 months (95% CI 6.1–12.1), respectively. Conclusions: The regimen of docetaxel and capecitabine is a well-tolerated, easily administered and active outpatient regimen for advanced gastric and GE adenocarcinoma.

The association of erythema nodosum with Hodgkin's disease is acknowledged, although not well-documented in the literature. Two patients with long remissions of their Hodgkin's disease manifested persistent erythema nodosum beginning 7 and 6 months, respectively, before relapse was clinically evident. The skin lesions in both patients partially responded to treatment with indomethacin, but did not resolve completely until chemotherapy was instituted. Erythema nodosum probably reflects an important change in the balance of biologic forces between the host and the neoplasm, the nature of which can only be speculated upon at this time. Erythema nodosum should be considered a warning signal of impending relapse in a patient with a history of Hodgkin's disease.