title: Retrospective case series of gemcitabine plus cisplatin in the treatment of recurrent and metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
abstract: To evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of gemcitabine plus cisplatin (GC) chemotherapy in patients with recurrent and metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), 75 patients of Chinese ethnicity with recurrent and metastatic NPC received a combination of gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8, and cisplatin 25mg/m2 on days 1, 2 and 3 of a 21-day cycle. All patients were ineligible for re-irradiation or surgery. Of the 75 patients, 4 achieved a complete response, and 28 patients achieved a partial response, for an overall response rate of 42.7%. The 1-year survival rate was 33.9%, and median progression-free survival and overall survival were 5.6 and 9.0 months, respectively. Grade 3 and 4 toxicities were uncommon.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  this GC regimen was effective and well tolerated by patients with recurrent and metastatic NPC. The results were comparable with most reports in the recent literature.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Cancer Hospital, Shanghai Medical School, Fudan University, Shanghai, PR China.
authors.forename: Jialei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xiaonan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Weiyu
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Xichun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Biyun
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Ye
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Ye
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003841:Deoxycytidine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000556:secondary; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000556:secondary; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000556:secondary; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D000093542:Gemcitabine