Gemcitabine plus vinorelbine chemotherapy in patients with advanced bladder carcinoma who are medically unsuitable for or who have failed cisplatin-based chemotherapy.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of gemcitabine plus vinorelbine chemotherapy in patients with advanced bladder carcinoma who are unsuitable for or who have failed cisplatin-containing chemotherapy.


METHODS
Thirty-one patients with advanced transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the bladder were scheduled to receive gemcitabine and vinorelbine chemotherapy. Twenty-one patients had received no prior chemotherapy and their creatinine clearance was below 50 ml/min (group 1), and the remaining 10 patients did not respond to previous cisplatin-containing chemotherapy (group 2).


RESULTS
In group 1, objective response rate was 47.6%, including 2 (9.5%) complete and 8 (38.9%) partial responses. In group 2, partial response was observed in 2 (20%) patients. The median survival time for patients in group 1 and 2 were 15 months (range 3-23) and 7 months (range 3-21), respectively. Grades 3 or 4 leukopenia developed in 16.1% of patients. Overall, 12.9% of the patients suffered from grade 3 nonhematologic toxicity.


CONCLUSIONS
Our preliminary data indicate that the combination of gemcitabine and vinorelbine is active and well tolerated especially in patients with advanced TCC who are unsuitable for cisplatin-based chemotherapy.
Türkölmez
Kadir
K
Department of Urology, Ankara University, School of Medicine, 06100 Ankara, Turkey. kadirturkolmez@yahoo.com
Bedük
Yaşar
Y
Baltaci
Sümer
S
Göğüş
Cağatay
C
Göğüş
Orhan
O
D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D002295:Carcinoma, Transitional Cell / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D003841:Deoxycytidine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D008297:Male; D020714:Maximum Tolerated Dose; D008875:Middle Aged; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D016019:Survival Analysis; D019452:Terminally Ill; D017211:Treatment Failure; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D014747:Vinblastine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D000077235:Vinorelbine; D000093542:Gemcitabine
D003841:Deoxycytidine; D014747:Vinblastine; D002945:Cisplatin; D000077235:Vinorelbine; D000093542:Gemcitabine