Safety Analysis of Apatinib Combined with Chemotherapy in the Treatment of Advanced Gastric Carcinoma: A Randomised Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVE: To study the safety of apatinib combined with chemotherapy in the treatment of advanced gastric carcinoma (GCA). METHODS: 74 patients with advanced GCA treated in the oncology department of Weifang People's Hospital (January 2019–January 2020) were enrolled in this study and equally split into study group (SG) and reference group (RG) according to the odd and even admission numbers. RG underwent chemotherapy alone, while SG received apatinib combined with chemotherapy. The clinical indicators of serum matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9), serum interleukin-2 receptor (SIL-2R), and immune cell level were detected in the two groups before and after treatment to analyze the therapeutic effect of different treatment methods on patients with advanced gastric carcinoma. RESULTS: No obvious differences in gender ratio, average age, average BMI, pathological staging, pathological types, organ metastasis types, and residence were observed between the two groups (P > 0.05). The short-term follow-up results showed that the disease control rate (DCR) in SG was markedly higher compared with RG (P < 0.05). The MMP-9 and SIL-2R levels in both groups after treatment decreased (P < 0.05), and the levels in SG after treatment were notably lower compared with RG (P < 0.001). Compared with RG, CD3(+), CD4(+), and CD4(+)/CD8(+) levels in SG after treatment were notably higher (P < 0.001), while the CD8(+) level was notably lower (P < 0.001). The median progression-free survival (MPFS) and overall survival (OS) in SG were markedly higher compared with RG (P < 0.001). The GQOLI-74 scores in both groups after treatment increased (P < 0.001), and the GQOLI-74 score in SG after treatment was markedly higher compared with RG (P < 0.001). The total incidence of adverse reactions was lower in SG than in RG (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Apatinib combined with chemotherapy is superior to chemotherapy alone in effectively improving treatment outcomes in patients with advanced GCA.