Gemcitabine Single or Combination Chemotherapy in Post Anthracycline and Taxane Salvage Treatment of Metastatic Breast Cancer: Retrospective Analysis of 124 Patients.
- Author:
Min Kyoung KIM
1
;
Sung Bae KIM
;
Jin Hee AHN
;
Soon Im LEE
;
Sei Hyun AHN
;
Byung Ho SON
;
Gyungyub GONG
;
Hak Hee KIM
;
Jung Shin LEE
;
Yoon Koo KANG
;
Woo Kun KIM
Author Information
1. Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. sbkim3@amc.seoul.kr
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Gemcitabine;
Chemotherapy;
Combination;
Breast neoplasms
- MeSH:
Breast Neoplasms*;
Breast*;
Drug Therapy;
Drug Therapy, Combination*;
Follow-Up Studies;
Humans;
Multivariate Analysis;
Neoplasm Metastasis;
Retrospective Studies*;
Capecitabine
- From:Cancer Research and Treatment
2006;38(4):206-213
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of gemcitabine- based chemotherapy, particularly in patients with anthracycline- and taxane-pretreated 2(nd)-line or greater metastatic breast cancer, and to compare gemcitabine monotherapy (G) with two gemcitabine-based doublets, gemcitabine/ vinorelbine (GV) and gemcitabine/capecitabine (GX). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Of 124 consecutive patients who progressed after anthracycline- and taxane-containing chemotherapy, 58 received G alone, 38 received GV, and 28 received GX; their outcomes were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: The median number of prior metastatic chemotherapy regimens was 2 (range 0~4). Visceral metastases were observed in 65 patients (51.4%). The overall response rate was 19.3% (21 partial responses). After a median follow-up period of 21.4 months, the overall survival was 7.6 months (95% CI: 5.5~9.6 months) and the median time to progression was 3.1 months (95% CI: 2.0~4.2 months). Compared with monotherapy (G), combination therapy with vinorelbine or capecitabine (GV/ GX) was associated with a significantly higher response rate (8.2% vs. 28.3%, p=0.008) and a significantly longer median time to progression (2.8 vs. 3.5 months; p=0.028), but overall survival did not differ between the groups (7.4 vs. 8.2 months, respectively; p=0.54). Most of the adverse treatment-related events were mild to moderate in intensity. The most common adverse event was hematologic toxicity. Multivariate analysis showed that poor performance status and a short disease-free interval were independent prognostic factors for impaired overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of gemcitabine with vinorelbine or capecitabine was an active and well-tolerated treatment option for taxane- and anthracycline-pretreated 2(nd)-line or greater metastatic breast cancer patients, and gemcitabine-based doublets were more beneficial than gemcitabine monotherapy in alleviating symptoms for these patients.
