title: Gemcitabine combined with gefitinib in patients with inoperable or metastatic pancreatic cancer: a phase II Study of the Hellenic Cooperative Oncology Group with biomarker evaluation.
abstract: The combination of gemcitabine and gefitinib was evaluated in advanced pancreatic cancer. Totally, 53 patients were treated with a 7 week cycle of gemcitabine (1,000 mg/m(2) given weekly) followed by six 4 week cycles of gemcitabine given on days 1, 8 and 15. Gefitinib 250 mg was administered daily. Responses were seen in 6, and stabilization of the disease in 12 patients. The main toxicity was myelotoxicity (92%). The 6-month progression-free survival (PFS) was 30%. Median PFS was 4.1 months and median survival 7.3 months with a 1 year survival rate of 27%. The above combination demonstrated promising activity in advanced pancreatic cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Papageorgiou Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki School of Medicine, Thessaloniki, Greece. fountzil@med.auth.gr
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fountzilas
authors.forename: Mattheos
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bobos
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kalogera-Fountzila
authors.forename: Nikolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Xiros
authors.forename: Samuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Linardou
authors.forename: Georgia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Karayannopoulou
authors.forename: Angelos K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Koutras
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bafaloukos
authors.forename: Epaminondas
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Samantas
authors.forename: Christos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Christodoulou
authors.forename: Theofanis
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Economopoulos
authors.forename: Konstantine T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Kalogeras
authors.forename: Paris
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kosmidis
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000401:mortality / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D001855:Bone Marrow Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003841:Deoxycytidine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D000077156:Gefitinib; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D018773:Genes, erbB-1; D018734:Genes, erbB-2; D011905:Genes, ras; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D051059:PTEN Phosphohydrolase / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D016283:Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras); D011799:Quinazolines / Q000008:administration & dosage; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000032:analysis; D016019:Survival Analysis; D018631:ras Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D000093542:Gemcitabine
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D003841:Deoxycytidine; D066246:ErbB Receptors; D000077156:Gefitinib; D051059:PTEN Phosphohydrolase; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D016283:Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras); D011799:Quinazolines; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D018631:ras Proteins; D000093542:Gemcitabine; C117307:KRAS protein, human; C512478:EGFR protein, human; C508053:ERBB2 protein, human; C494929:PTEN protein, human