Gemcitabine plus capecitabine combination in metastatic breast cancer patients previously treated with anthracyclines and taxanes.
BACKGROUND
Treatment of patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) exposed to anthracyclines and taxanes is challenging. Effective and well-tolerated regimens are required. Gemcitabine plus capecitabine combination was assessed in MBC patients pretreated with anthracyclines and taxanes.


METHODS
A total of 31 patients treated between November 2004 and September 2005 were retrospectively evaluated in 4 institutions. The median age was 48 years (range 29-77). The patients were given gemcitabine 1,000 mg/m(2) on days 1 and 8, and capecitabine 1,500 mg/m(2) twice daily on days 1-14 every 3 weeks.


RESULTS
A total of 160 cycles of chemotherapy were administered with a median of 5 cycles per patient (range 2-12). Three patients achieved a partial response (10%) and 8 patients (26%) stable disease. The median time to disease progression was 6 months (95% CI 5-7), with a median survival of 18 months (95% CI 15-21) at a median follow-up of 16 months (range 2-28). One-year and 2-year survival rates were 67 and 28%, respectively. Grade 3-4 toxicities were as follows: neutropenia (n = 11, 35%), nausea and vomiting (n = 4, 13%), hand-foot syndrome (n = 2, 6%), anemia (n = 2, 6%), thrombocytopenia (n = 2, 6%) and asthenia (n = 1, 3%).


CONCLUSIONS
The combination of gemcitabine plus capecitabine was a tolerable regimen with a mild but comparable survival efficacy to similar regimens in patients with MBC after anthracyclines and taxanes.
Benekli
Mustafa
M
Department of Medical Oncology, Erciyes University Faculty of Medicine, Kayseri, Turkey. mbenekli@gazi.edu.tr
Yildiz
Ramazan
R
Uner
Aytug
A
Er
Ozlem
O
Yamac
Deniz
D
Alkis
Necati
N
Coskun
Ugur
U
Camci
Celalettin
C
Buyukberber
Suleyman
S
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018943:Anthracyclines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000556:secondary; D000069287:Capecitabine; D003841:Deoxycytidine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D043823:Taxoids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000093542:Gemcitabine
D018943:Anthracyclines; D043823:Taxoids; D003841:Deoxycytidine; D000069287:Capecitabine; D005472:Fluorouracil; D000093542:Gemcitabine