Lower chemotherapy doses better for older or frail patients

Medium and lower doses of chemotherapy were as effective as the full-strength dose at controlling disease for elderly or frail patients with advanced cancer of the stomach or oesophagus and leads to fewer side effects such as diarrhoea and lethargy. These are the results of the GO2 trial, a Cancer Research UK funded study, that could change the standard of care for patients who can’t have full dose chemotherapy due to their age, frailty or medical fitness. The study, which ran at hospitals all over the UK, coordinated from the University of Leeds, involved 514 people with stomach or oesophageal cancer. Their