CLINICAL EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF APATINIB FOR TREATING STOMACH CANCER AND ITS EFFECT ON SERUM CA72-4, CEA AND CA19-9

Objective: To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of apatinib for treating advanced stomach cancer (SC) and its effect on serum carbohydrate antigen 72-4 (CA72-4), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9). Methods: Seventy patients with advanced SC admitted to the gastrointestinal surgery department of our hospital from September 2017 to November 2018 were selected and divided into control and treatment groups according to the random number table method. The control group was treated with tegafur-gimeracil-oteracil-potassium capsules, and the treatment group was treated with apatinib. After 4 weeks, the clinical efficacy; serum CA72-4, CEA and CA19-9 levels; and adverse reactions during treatment were compared between the two groups, and the difference in progression-free survival (PFS) between the two groups was calculated and compared. Results: The response rate (RR) was 51.43% in the treatment group and 25.71% in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The disease control rate (DCR) was 87.14% in the treatment group and 64.29% in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in serum CA72-4, CEA and CA19-9 levels between the two groups before treatment (P>0.05). After treatment, serum CA72-4 and CA19-9 levels in the two groups were lower than that before treatment, and serum CA72-4 and CA19-9 levels in the treatment group were lower than that in the control group (P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant change in CEA levels after treatment between the two groups (P>0.05). There were nine cases of adverse reactions in the treatment group, with an incidence rate of 25.71%, and 11 cases in the control group, with an incidence rate of 31.42%. There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups (P>0.05). The median PFS time of patients in the treatment group was 3.86 months, while that in patients in the control group was 234 months. There was a statistical difference between the two groups (P<0.05). Conclusion: Apatinib has a significant clinical effect in the treatment of advanced SC, and has a significant inhibitory effect on serum CA72-4 and CA19-9 levels, which can improve the RR and DCR and prolong the patient's life.