OBJECTIVETo compare the efficacy and toxicity of two different regimens as neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer.

METHODSForty-eight patients with stage II, III breast cancer as proved by cytology biopsy, were treated with either 5-Fu, epirubicin, cyclophosphamide (FEC) or epirubicin, paclitaxel (ET) regimens for 2 cycles every 3 - 4 weeks. Clinical responses in the breast and lymph nodes were assessed after 2 cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Patients in FEC arm received combination of 5-fluorouracil (5-Fu) 500 mg/m(2) by 4-hour continuous infusion on D1 and D8, epirubicin (EPI) 50 mg/m(2) by intravenous injection on D1, and cyclophosphamide (CTX) 500 mg/m(2) by intravenous injection on D1 and D8. Patients assigned to the ET arm received EPI 60 mg/m(2) by intravenous injection on D1, paclitaxel (TAX) 150 mg/m(2) by 3-hour continuous infusion on D2. All patients were treated by operation 2 weeks later and radiotherapy was added to some.

RESULTSFor primary tumor in the breast, the overall response rate (RR) was 50.0% (12/24) in FEC arm and 79.2% (19/24) in ET arm. One patient showed clinical complete response (cCR), 11 partial response (PR), 12 no change (NC) after the FEC therapy, while 1 patient showed CR, 18 PR, 5 NC after ET therapy. There was no pathologic complete response or progressive disease, though a higher proportion of RR was observed in stage II than stage III patients in these two groups. Clinically palpable axillary lymph nodes which had been found in all 48 patients before 2 cycles of treatment, 50.0% (12/24) in the FEC patients and 66.7% (16/24) in the ET patients became in-palpable. The major toxicity, including leukopenia, gastroenteric reactions, were similar in both groups, but alopecia was more severe and arthralgia, myalgia, neurotoxicity and flushing of face were the unique features of the ET regimen.

CONCLUSIONNeoadjuvant chemotherapy with two different regimens were effective to the primary tumor and axillary metastatic lymph nodes of breast cancer, and the side effects were tolerable. Higher efficacy and more side effects are observed in ET than in FEC regimen.

Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Breast Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; Cyclophosphamide ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Epirubicin ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Fluorouracil ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Neoadjuvant Therapy ; Neoplasm Staging ; Paclitaxel ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Taxoids ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the cardioprotective effects of dexrazoxane (DEX) on breast cancer patients who received anthracycline-containing chemotherapy.

METHODSA total of 122 breast cancer patients after operation were randomly divided into two groups: The experimental group of 61 cases treated with EPI plus DEX (DEX:EPI = 10:1) as adjuvant chemotherapy regimen, and the control group of 61 cases treated with EPI but without DEX. All patients received four cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy and their changes of specific cardiac functional status and hematology status before and after chemotherapy, as well as non-cardiac toxicity were observed and analyzed.

RESULTSBrain natriuretic peptide (BNP) before chemotherapy and after four cycles of chemotherapy in the control group was (106.78 ± 4.52)×10(-6) µg/ml and (187.19 ± 8.71)×10(-6) µg/ml, respectively, with a significant difference between them (P < 0.05). It in the experimental group was (102.34 ± 8.76)×10(-6) µg/ml and (105.29 ± 7.21)×10(-6) µg/ml, respectively, without a significant difference (P > 0.05). Cardiac troponin T (cTnT) before chemotherapy and after four cycles of chemotherapy in the control group was (12.55 ± 2.73)×10(-3) µg/ml and ( 31.05 ± 7.10 )×10(-3) µg/ml, respectively, with a significant difference between them (P < 0.05). It in the experimental group was (12.70 ± 2.15)×10(-3) µg/ml and (13.65 ± 7.82)×10(-3) µg/ml, respectively, without a significant difference (P > 0.05). The hart rate (HR) before chemotherapy and after four cycles of chemotherapy in the control group, was 75.32 ± 7.14 bpm and 89.60 ± 9.21 bpm, respectively, with a significant difference (P < 0.05). It in the experimental group was 78.60 ± 6.29 bpm and 83.10 ± 7.56 bpm, respectively, without a significant difference (P > 0.05). The left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) before chemotherapy and after four cycles of chemotherapy in the control group was (65.23 ± 7.82)% and (55.21 ± 7.23)%, respectively, with a significant difference between them (P < 0.05). It in the experimental group was (64.12 ± 6.25)% and (59.6 ± 4.72)%, respectively, without a significant difference (P > 0.05). The absolute neutrophil count before chemotherapy and after four cycles of chemotherapy in the control group was (3.95 ± 1.36)×10(9)/L and (3.50 ± 1.52)×10(9)/L, respectively, without a significant difference (P > 0.05). It in the experimental group, was (4.96 ± 1.41)×10(9)/L and (3.10 ± 1.26)×10(9)/L, respectively, with a significant difference (P < 0.05). The incidence of grade I-IV bone marrow suppression in the experimental group was 21.3%, 16.4%, 24.6%, and 4.9%, respectively. It in the control group was 16.4%, 11.5%, 9.8%, and 5.5%, respectively, with a significant difference (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSCardiac toxicity after anthracycline treatment in breast cancer patients may be significantly reduced by DEX, without increase of non-cardiac and and non-hematologic toxicity. DEX combined with anthracycline increases the risk of bone marrow suppression, therefore, peripheral blood picture should be monitored or routine bone marrow support may be needed.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Antibiotics, Antineoplastic ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Bone Marrow ; drug effects ; Breast Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; pathology ; physiopathology ; surgery ; Cardiovascular Agents ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Epirubicin ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart Rate ; drug effects ; Humans ; Leukocyte Count ; Middle Aged ; Natriuretic Peptide, Brain ; metabolism ; Neutrophils ; cytology ; Razoxane ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Stroke Volume ; drug effects ; Young Adult

The purpose of this study is to determine the characteristic clinical features, radiologic findings, and precipitating and prognostic factors in the patients with breast cancer and with 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU)-induced leukoencephalopathy. We reviewed the medical records of six breast cancer patients who developed leukoencephalopathy after chemotherapy which included 5-FU and also evaluated thorough neurological examinations including mini-mental status examination, cerebrospinal fluid studies, brain images and brain biopsies. Six patients exhibited slowly progressing neurologic symptoms characterized by the impairment of cognitive function, abulia, ataxic gait, and/or akinetic mutism. None of the patients had any specific causes or etiologic factors for leukoencephalopathy. Brain MRI in all patients showed diffuse periventricular white matter changes in the T2-weighted MR image. Brain biopsy in Patient 1 showed fragmented axonal fiber and minimally deprived myelination with many scattered macrophages. Five patients who treated with steroids at the onset of neurological symptoms showed clinical improvement, regardless of their age, sex, the pathology and stage of breast cancer, or the total dosage of chemotherapeutic agents. We conclude that leukoencephalopathy in these cases could be attributable to 5-FU neurotoxicity and suggest that the administration of steroids might be the treatment of choice.
Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous/complications/drug therapy ; Adult ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Steroidal/therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Agents/adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Brain/*drug effects/metabolism/radiography ; Breast Neoplasms/*complications/drug therapy ; Carcinoma, Infiltrating Duct/*complications/drug therapy ; Cyclophosphamide/adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Epirubicin/adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Female ; Fluorouracil/*adverse effects/analogs & derivatives/therapeutic use ; Glucocorticoids, Synthetic/therapeutic use ; Human ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Methylprednisolone/therapeutic use ; Middle Age ; Nervous System Diseases/chemically induced/drug therapy/metabolism/radiography ; Prednisolone/therapeutic use

OBJECTIVETo determine the feasibility of single dose intravesical epirubicin in the prevention of recurrent superficial bladder carcinoma.

METHODSWe compared the effect of intravesical epirubicin or mitomycin C on tumor recurrence and disease free interval and their side effects after treatment of superficial bladder tumor. 47 postoperative patients with stages Ta to T1 primary superficial bladder carcinoma of grades 1 or 2 were randomized into groups A: single 80 mg epirubicin; B: 40 mg consecutive epirubicin; C: 40 mg consecutive mitomycin C. Patients were followed up for clinical, analytical, and cystoscopic evaluations every 3 months.

RESULTSThe disease free intervals of the three groups were found no significant differences (F = 3.25, P > 0.05). The recurrence rate was 6.25% (1/16), 13.3% (2/15), 12.5% (2/16) (chi(2) = 0.496, P > 0.05) in groups A, B, and C at 1 year, and 33.3% (5/15), 26.7% (4/15), 25% (4/16) (chi(2) = 0.290, P > 0.05) at 3 years after operation, respectively. Side effects of group A (13.3%) were lower than those of group B (46.7%) or C (43.8%) (chi(2) = 14.56, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSSingle dose of epirubicin given intravesically immediately after tumor resection is effective in preventing tumor recurrence.

Aged ; Antibiotics, Antineoplastic ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Epirubicin ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Feasibility Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; prevention & control ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms ; prevention & control

In order to assess the effect of long-term versus short-term intravesical chemotherapy in preventing the recurrence of patients with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer, we searched several databases with words as mesh terms and free text words to find all eligible randomized clinical trials (RCTs) for the comparison of the two strategies of instillation durations. "Observed-Expected events research (O-E)" and "Variance (V)" for calculating hazard ratio (HR) were used in Revman 5.2 software recommended by Cochrane Collabration for data analysis. Sensitivity and subgroup analysis were selected to minish heterogeneity. GRADEpro 3.6 profile recommended by Cochrane Collabration was employed for quality assessment of analyses. Finally, 13 eligible RCTs with 4216 patients were included in this review and 16 comparisons from 13 trials were involved for analysis. The pooled analysis revealed no significant difference between long-term and short-term duration [HR=0.99, 95% CI (0.89, 1.11), P=0.89]. Within the subgroup analysis, patients benefited from long-term instillations with a start regimen of one immediate instillation [HR=0.83, 95% CI (0.69, 1.00), P=0.05]. But patients were not suitable to receive long-term instillations with epirubicin (EPI) [HR=1.01, 95% CI (0.91, 1.13), P=0.78]. The progression rate was not reduced after long-term instillations [HR=0.96, 95% CI (0.66, 1.39), P=0.82]. From our results, patients should not receive introvesical chemotherapy more than half a year. In contrast, patients with one immediate instillation are preferred to have a long-term duration at least one year. Long-term instillations can not reduce the progression rate.
Administration, Intravesical ; Antibiotics, Antineoplastic ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Drug Therapy ; methods ; trends ; Epirubicin ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Time Factors ; Treatment Outcome ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms ; drug therapy

OBJECTIVETo investigate the efficiency, time to progression (TTP), overall survival (OS) and toxicity of epirubicin combined with DDP and 5-Fu (PELF regimen) for the treatment of advanced gastric cancer.

METHODSTotally, 101 patients with histopathologically confirmed advanced gastric cancer were enrolled and treated with PELF regimen in this study. Among them, 37 cases received adjuvant chemotherapy after R0 resection and 64 cases only received palliative chemotherapy without surgical resection. The regimen comprised of intravenous (i.v.) administration of epirubicin 50-80 mg/m2 for palliative chemotherapy or 40-50 mg/m2 for postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy on D1; i.v. infusion of cisplatin 10-20 mg/m2 in 2 hours on D1-D5; i.v. infusion of 5-Fu 425-600 mg/m2 for palliative chemotherapy or 425-500 mg/m2 for adjuvant chemotherapy in 4 hours for 5 days or continuous infusion for 120 hours; i.v. infusion of leucovorin (LV) 100-200 mg/m2 in 2 hours on D1-D5. This regimen was repeated every 3 to 4 weeks, and the first evaluation was done after two cycles.

RESULTSOf the 37 patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy after R0 resection, 17 were still alive without recurrence, while 19 died of the disease. The median disease free survival time was 36.1 months and 5-year survival rate was 36.0%. Among the 64 cases who received only palliative chemotherapy, 47 patients were treated with this regimen as a first-line therapy and 34 patients were evaluable for response. The overall response rate was 26.5%, median time to progression (TTP) and overall survival (OS) was 6.6 and 13.7 months, respectively. Of the 17 patients who received this regimen as a second-line therapy, 10 were evaluable with an overall response rate of 20.0%. The median time to progression (TTP) in patients of this group was 5.1 months and median overall survival (OS) was 8.9 months. All the 101 patients were assessable for toxicity according to WHO criteria. The rate of grade 3 or 4 neutropenia, anemia and thromobocytopenia was 19.8%, 1.0% and 2.0%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONThe regimen of epirubicin combined with DDP and 5-Fu is effective, well tolerable and safe for advanced gastric cancer patients either as adjuvant or as palliative therapy.

Adenocarcinoma ; drug therapy ; pathology ; surgery ; Adult ; Aged ; Anemia ; chemically induced ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Cisplatin ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Disease Progression ; Disease-Free Survival ; Epirubicin ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Fluorouracil ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Leucovorin ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Neutropenia ; chemically induced ; Palliative Care ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; pathology ; surgery ; Survival Rate ; Thrombocytopenia ; chemically induced

OBJECTIVEThe aim of this study is to analyse the efficacy and toxicity of CEOP regimen in the treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL).

METHODSFrom January 1995 to December 2000, 121 patients with NHL were treated by CEOP regimen with or without radiotherapy for the involved field. The clinical characteristics, response, toxicity and long-term survival results were analysed retrospectively.

RESULTSOf these 121 patients, 83 (68.6%) had B-cell NHL and 38(31.4%) peripheral T or NK-cell NHL; 55. 4% (67/121) had early disease (stage I or II), and 89.3% (108/121) had IPI score 0-2. The median age was 53 years (range: 7-79 yr). All patients were treated by CEOP regimen (totally, 471 cycles) with or without radiotherapy. The overall response (OR) rate in this series was 90.9% (110/121) with a complete remission (CR) rate of 71.9% (87/121); whereas the response rate of chemotherapy alone was 88.4% (107/121) with a CR rate of 67.8% (82/121). Major toxicity consisted of grade III-IV myelosuppression (11.9%), neutropenia (1.9%) and thrombocytopenia and anemia (1.1%). Alopecia was observed in 46.3%. However, cardiotoxicity was mild and reversible. Median follow-up duration in this series was 63 months (range: 2-116 months). The overall 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rate was 84.8%, 62.7% and 55.9%, respectively, with a median survival time of 85 months (2-118 months).

CONCLUSIONOur data show that CEOP regimen combined with or without radiotherapy for the involved field is effective and well tolerated by the patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Alopecia ; chemically induced ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Child ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Cyclophosphamide ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Epirubicin ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse ; drug therapy ; pathology ; radiotherapy ; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin ; drug therapy ; pathology ; radiotherapy ; Lymphoma, T-Cell ; drug therapy ; pathology ; radiotherapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Neutropenia ; chemically induced ; Prednisone ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Remission Induction ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Analysis ; Thrombocytopenia ; chemically induced ; Vincristine ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of low-dose carvedilol combined with candesartan in the prevention of acute and chronic cardiotoxicity of anthracycline drugs in adjuvant chemotherapy of breast cancer.

METHODSForty patients were randomly divided into two groups: the experimental group with chemotherapy plus low-dose carvedilol combined with candesartan (20 cases) and control group with chemotherapy alone (20 cases). The same chemotherapy was given to the two groups. All the 40 patients had no contraindication for carvedilol and candesartan. Patients of the experimental group received low-dose carvedilol from 2.5 mg orally twice a day at first cycle to 5 mg twice a day gradually if no side reactions, and candesartan 2.5 mg orally once a day. Electrocardiogram, ultrasonic cardiogram, arrhythmia, troponin and non-hematologic toxicity were recorded and compared after the second, forth and sixth cycle of chemotherapy. Each cycle included 21 days.

RESULTSLVEF was decreased along with the prolongation of chemotherapy in the experimental group and control group. LVEDD and LVESD showed no significant changes in the experimental group, but gradually increased in the control group. After four and six cycles of chemotherapy, LVEF were (57.00 ± 5.13)% and (45.95 ± 3.68)%, respectively, in the control group, significantly lower than that of (67.00 ± 5.13)% and (57.50 ± 2.57)%, respectively, in the experimental group (P < 0.05). After six cycles of chemotherapy, LVEDD and LVESD were (50.00 ± 10.48) mm and (35.01 ± 2.99) mm, respectively, in the control group, significantly higher than those before chemotherapy (P < 0.05) and experimental group (P < 0.001). The rate of ST segment and T wave abnormalities was 80.0% in the control group after six cycles of chemotherapy, significantly higher than that of 25.0% after four cycles of chemotherapy (P = 0.001) and 10.0% after two cycles of chemotherapy (P < 0.001). The reduction of QRS voltage, arrhythmia and abnormal troponin were 55.0%, 45.0% and 45.0%, respectively, in the control group, significantly higher than those in the experimental group (20.0%, P < 0.05), (10.0%, P = 0.010) and (10.0%, P < 0.05), respectively. The rate of abnormal expression of troponin was 45.0% in the control group, significantly higher than the 10.0% in the experimental group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe use of low-dose carvedilol combined with candesartan can reduce the acute and chronic cardiotoxicity of anthracycline drugs, and with tolerable toxicities. This may provide a new approach to prevent cardiotoxicity of anthracycline drugs in adjuvant chemotherapy of breast cancer.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Adult ; Aged ; Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Blockers ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; chemically induced ; Benzimidazoles ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Breast Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; surgery ; Carbazoles ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Cyclophosphamide ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Electrocardiography ; drug effects ; Epirubicin ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Fluorouracil ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Mastectomy, Radical ; Middle Aged ; Propanolamines ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Stroke Volume ; drug effects ; Tetrazoles ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Troponin ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo study the differences of objective response rate (ORR), side effects and survival among patients with limited-stage small cell lung cancer (LD-SCLC), who received concurrent chemoradiotherapy, sequential chemoradiotherapy or chemotherapy alone, and to analyze the influencing factors on their survival.

METHODSOne hundred and sixty-six patients diagnosed as LD-SCLC in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2000 to December 2009 were included in this study. The differences of objective response rates, side effects and survival rates were analyzed by χ2 test. Kaplan-Meier test was used to calculate the overall survival (OS) and progress-free survival (PFS). Cox regression was used to detect the influencing factors on survival time of the patients.

RESULTSThe patients were divided into three groups: concurrent chemoradiotherapy (49 cases), sequential chemoradiotherapy (62 cases) and chemotherapy alone (55 cases). The chemotherapy was based on CE/EP regimen, with an average cycle of 5.2. Radiotherapy was of a common or 3-dimensional conformal technology, for regular segmentation irradiation with an average dose of 49.6 Gy. The total ORR was 73.4%, OS and PFS were 22.9 months and 10.8 months, 1, 3, 5-year survival rates were 82.7%, 31.8%, 18.6%, respectively. For the concurrent group, sequential group and chemotherapy alone group, the ORR was 89.4%, 67.2% and 66.0%, respectively. Compared the chemotherapy alone group and concurrent group with the sequential group, there were significant differences (P<0.05). For the concurrent group, sequential group and chemotherapy alone group, the median OS was 29.7 months, 22.6 months, and 19.5 months; the median PFS was 12.7 months, 10.8 months, and 9.8 months, respectively, with a non-significant difference between each two groups (P>0.05). For the concurrent group, sequential group and chemotherapy alone group, the 1-year survival rates were 91.1%, 86.3%, and 65.6%, the 3-year survival rates were 44.2%, 28.3% and 22.8%, and the 5-year survival rates were 24.2%, 21.4% and 11.1%, respectively, with significant differences among them (P<0.05). The major side effects were myelosuppression, gastrointestinal reactions, radiation pneumonia and radiation esophagitis. For the concurrent group, sequential group and chemotherapy alone group, the incidence of myelosuppression were 84.4%, 76.8% and 60.0%, respectively, with a significant difference (P=0.008) between the concurrent group and chemotherapy alone group. For the concurrent group and sequential group, the incidences of radiation pneumonia were 22.2% and 22.9%, with a non-significant difference (P=0.940). The incidences of radiation esophagitis were 47.2% and 16.7%, respectively, with a significant difference (P=0.002). Multivariate analysis showed that OS was significantly associated with gender (P=0.018) and ECOG score (P=0.009), and PFS was significantly associated with gender (P=0.050).

CONCLUSIONSFor LD-SCLC, concurrent chemoradiotherapy can significantly increase the objective response rate. Concurrent chemoradiotherapy and sequential chemoradiotherapy compared with chemotherapy alone can extend survival, and concurrent chemoradiotherapy is better, but the differences among the three regimens are not significant. Gender and ECOG score are important influencing factors of survival.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; therapeutic use ; Carboplatin ; therapeutic use ; Chemoradiotherapy ; Cisplatin ; therapeutic use ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Disease-Free Survival ; Epirubicin ; therapeutic use ; Esophagitis ; etiology ; Etoposide ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; pathology ; radiotherapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myelopoiesis ; radiation effects ; Radiation Pneumonitis ; etiology ; Radiotherapy, Conformal ; adverse effects ; Remission Induction ; Small Cell Lung Carcinoma ; drug therapy ; pathology ; radiotherapy ; Survival Rate

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the efficacy and safety of intravesical instillation with gemcitabine after first-line intravesical chemotherapy failure, including mitomycin (MMC), epirubicin (EPB) and camptothecin (CPT), in the treatment of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC).

METHODSFrom June 2007 to October 2008, 72 patients with NMIBC, who had tumor recurrence within one year of first-line intravesical chemotherapy, were assigned to 3 groups (24 cases each). Group A received intravesical gemcitabine in a dose of 1000 mg, Group B received 2000 mg gemcitabine, and Group C received original intravesical chemotherapy. The time of reccurrence and adverse effects were recorded.

RESULTSThe 2-year tumor free survival rates of the 3 groups were 66.7%, 75.0% and 45.8%, respectively. The 2-year TFS rate of the patients who received gemcitabine was 70.8%, significantly higher than 45.8% of the patients treated by original chemotherapy. There was one case with renal function impairement in the groups A and B, respectively. There was no significant difference between the rates of low urinary tract symptoms in the 3 groups. No severe hematological side effects were observed in this study.

CONCLUSIONThe intravescal chemotherapy with gemcitabine in patients with recurrent bladder tumor after first-line intravesical chemotherapy is effective and well tolerated, however, renal function should be routinely assessed.

Administration, Intravesical ; Adult ; Aged ; Antibiotics, Antineoplastic ; therapeutic use ; Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; therapeutic use ; Camptothecin ; therapeutic use ; Deoxycytidine ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; analogs & derivatives ; therapeutic use ; Disease-Free Survival ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Epirubicin ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mitomycin ; therapeutic use ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; pathology