Published in:
01-03-2012 | Original Paper
Safety and efficacy of gemcitabine plus cisplatin combination in pretreated metastatic breast cancer patients
Authors:
Luiz Gustavo Oliveira Brito, Jurandyr Moreira de Andrade, Thiago Lins-Almeida, Fábio Eduardo Zola, Mariana Novaes Pinheiro, Heitor Ricardo Cosiski Marana, Daniel Guimarães Tiezzi, Fernanda Maris Peria
Published in:
Medical Oncology
|
Issue 1/2012
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Abstract
Metastatic breast cancers (MBC) previously treated with anthracyclines (A) and taxanes (T) have a complicated management. Gemcitabine (G)–cisplatin (C) combinations have been used as synergistic salvage therapy in MBC and are considered as another option for patients with important symptoms and aggressive visceral disease. We analyzed the safety and efficacy of GC in AT-pretreated MBC, as well as overall survival (OS) and time to progression (TTP). Forty-nine subjects received IV G 750 mg/m2 and C 30 mg/m2, both d1 and d8 every 3 weeks. Response evaluation was performed every second cycle and in the end of treatment. GC protocol was the first-line palliative chemotherapy in half of the cases, and median number of cycles/patient were 4(2–12). Lung (75.5%) was the most frequent site of metastasis. Most of the patients related clinical improvement with chemotherapy with minimal/mild tolerable collateral effects in 85.7% of cases. Following 34 months, mean OS/TTP was 13.12/6.6 months. Objective-responded patients (40.3%) were statistically associated with the improvement in symptoms after CT (P < 0.01), and OS was directly correlated with chemotherapy response (P < 0.01). HER-2 overexpression was a prognostic factor with reduced OS (P = 0.01). GC protocol was effective and tolerable in objective-responded patients.