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Testing the Addition of Paclitaxel Administered into the Abdominal Cavity Combined with Chemotherapy for Patients with Gastric Cancer Spread to the Abdominal Cavity, STOPGAP II Trial

Trial Status: active

This phase II/III trial compares the effect of adding paclitaxel given into the abdominal cavity (intraperitoneal) to leucovorin, fluorouracil, and intravenous paclitaxel versus (vs) usual systemic therapy in treating patients with gastric or gastroesophageal cancer that has spread to the abdominal cavity. Paclitaxel is in a class of medications called antimicrotubule agents. It stops tumor cells from growing and dividing and may kill them. Leucovorin calcium, a type of chemoprotective agent and a type of chemosensitizing agent, is a form of folic acid that is used to lessen the toxic effects of substances that block the action of folic acid. Fluorouracil, a type of antimetabolite, stops cells from making deoxyribonucleic acid and it may kill tumor cells. The usual approach to treatment is systemic therapy including chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Systemic therapy is any usual treatment, including chemotherapy and immunotherapy, using substances that travel through the bloodstream, reaching and affecting cells all over the body. Chemotherapy drugs work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Immunotherapy may induce changes in the body's immune system and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Adding intraperitoneal paclitaxel to leucovorin, fluorouracil and intravenous paclitaxel may be better at preventing the tumor from growing or spreading compared to usual systemic therapy in patients with gastric or gastroesophageal cancer that has spread to the abdominal cavity.