Efficacy and safety of combined use of docetaxelgemcitabine chemotherapy and 5-fluorouracil targeted therapy in the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer

Purpose: To determine the efficacy of combined use of docetaxel-gemcitabine chemotherapy and 5- fluorouracil (5-FU) targeted therapy for the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: Eighty advanced NSCLC patients in Hainan General Hospital (Hainan Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University) (March 2020 - March 2021) were selected and randomly assigned to chemo group (CHEG) and combination group (COMG), with 40 patients per group. All patients received docetaxel-gemcitabine chemotherapy. On the 1st, 8th and 15th day of treatment, docetaxel (20 mg/m2) was injected via intravenous drip. On the 2nd, 9th and 16th day, gemcitabine hydrochloride (1 g/m2) was injected, also via intravenous drip. The dose regimens were repeated once every 28 days. In addition, patients in COMG received 5-FU targeted therapy at a dose of 15 mg/kg body weight, in 5 % glucose solution, via intravenous drip for 5 - 8 h daily for 5 consecutive days. Thereafter, the dose was reduced by half and the drug injected once every other day. Therapeutic efficacy as well as various clinical and biochemical indices were assessed in both groups. Results: Compared with CHEG, COMG had a slightly higher objective remission rate and a higher disease control rate (p < 0.05). After treatment, there was decrease in levels of serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and cytokeratin 19 fragment antigen 21-1 (CY-FRA21- 1), with lower levels in COMG than in CHEG (p < 0.05). The median survival time was shorter in CHEG than in COMG (p < 0.05). However, no notable differences in the incidence of adverse reactions were observed between the two groups (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Combined use of docetaxel-gemcitabine chemotherapy and 5-FU-targeted therapy downregulates the expressions of serum CEA, SCC and CY-FRA21-1 tumor markers, but significantly prolongs overall survival of patients. Therefore, this therapeutic strategy is safe but should be subjected to further clinical trials prior to application in clinical practice. Keywords: 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU; Advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); docetaxel; Gemcitabine