Combination therapy with gemcitabine in non-small cell lung cancer.
The nucleoside analogue, gemcitabine, has shown activity as a single agent in the treatment of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), producing consistent response rates of 20% and above. Because of its unique mechanism of action and its non-overlapping toxicity with other active agents, gemcitabine is an attractive candidate for trials in combination with other cytotoxic agents. In preclinical models, the cisplatin-gemcitabine combination suggested synergy between the two drugs. In phase I-II studies, response rates are as high as 54% when gemcitabine is combined with cisplatin, both in stage III and IV NSCLC. The combination of gemcitabine and ifosfamide is also being explored with an overall response rate of 32%. The gemcitabine-containing regimens showed a favourable safety-efficacy profile and compared well with standard regimens used in NSCLC. These preliminary results must be validated by large randomised trials comparing gemcitabine-containing regimens with NSCLC reference chemotherapy regimens.
Mosconi
A M
AM
Medical Oncology Division, Policlinico Hospital, Perugia, Italy.
Crinò
L
L
Tonato
M
M
D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000188:drug therapy*; D017322:Clinical Trials, Phase II as Topic; D003841:Deoxycytidine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000093542:Gemcitabine
D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; D003841:Deoxycytidine; D000093542:Gemcitabine