Gemcitabine plus docetaxel: a new treatment option for anthracycline pretreated metastatic breast cancer patients?
Antimetabolite-taxane combinations have been shown to be effective chemotherapy in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). A multicentre phase III trial comparing gemcitabine-docetaxel with capecitabine-docetaxel in women with anthracycline pretreated MBC was carried out in several European countries. Its results were presented recently [1]. One-hundred and fifty-three patients were randomly assigned to receive docetaxel (75 mg/m2, day 1) plus gemcitabine (1000 mg/m2, days 1, 8) and 152 received docteaxel plus capecitabine (1250 mg/m2, bid days 1-14) every 3 weeks until disease progression. No difference in efficacy of the two treatment regimens was observed in terms of progression-free survival (35 weeks in both treatment arms), overall response rate (32% vs. 32%), time to treatment failure (19 vs. 18 weeks, respectively), or response duration (36 vs. 42 weeks). Drug-related toxicity, particularly hand-foot syndrome, mucositis and diarrhoea, was more frequent with capecitabine-docetaxel and there was a higher incidence of drug-related treatment withdrawals with this combination. Gemcitabine-docetaxel appeared to have a more favourable risk-benefit profile than capecitabine-docetaxel, and is an important new treatment option for women with anthracycline-pretreated MBC.
Levy
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Centre Françoise Baclesse, Caen, France.
Fumoleau
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D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000069287:Capecitabine; D003841:Deoxycytidine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000139:chemically induced; D000077143:Docetaxel; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009503:Neutropenia / Q000139:chemically induced; D011355:Prodrugs / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012074:Remission Induction; D043823:Taxoids / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D000093542:Gemcitabine
D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D011355:Prodrugs; D043823:Taxoids; D003841:Deoxycytidine; D000077143:Docetaxel; D000069287:Capecitabine; D005472:Fluorouracil; D000093542:Gemcitabine