Phase II study of gemcitabine plus docetaxel as second-line treatment in malignant pleural mesothelioma: a single institution study.
OBJECTIVE
The combinations of cisplatin-pemetrexed and cisplatin-gemcitabine are considered the standard systemic therapy for malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), which is a rapidly progressive tumor. The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and clinical benefit of the gemcitabine plus docetaxel regimen in the second-line treatment of this disease.


METHODS
A total of 37 patients with MPM were treated with the combination of docetaxel (80 mg/m) and gemcitabine (1000 mg/m) on day 1 and 14 of a 28-day cycle. The regimen was repeated for a maximum of 6 cycles or until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.


RESULTS
There was partial response of the disease in 7 patients (18.9%), whereas it remained stable in 23 patients (62.2%) and progressed in 7 patients (18.9%). The median time to disease progression was 7 months (range: 5.8-8.2 months) with a mean survival of 16.2 months (range: 13-19.3 months).


CONCLUSIONS
The biweekly administration of docetaxel and gemcitabine, along with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor support, constitutes a safe, tolerable, and convenient regimen for the treatment of MPM, suggesting that this combination may be a viable option, especially in previously treated patients.
Tourkantonis
Ioannis
I
Oncology Unit, Third Department of Medicine, Sotiria General Hospital, Athens School of Medicine, Greece.
Makrilia
Nektaria
N
Ralli
Maria
M
Alamara
Christina
C
Nikolaidis
Ilias
I
Tsimpoukis
Sotirios
S
Charpidou
Andriani
A
Kotanidou
Anastasia
A
Syrigos
Kostas
K
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000556:secondary; D003841:Deoxycytidine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D018450:Disease Progression; D000077143:Docetaxel; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D016179:Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008654:Mesothelioma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010997:Pleural Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D016879:Salvage Therapy; D015996:Survival Rate; D043823:Taxoids / Q000008:administration & dosage; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D000093542:Gemcitabine
D043823:Taxoids; D003841:Deoxycytidine; D016179:Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor; D000077143:Docetaxel; D000093542:Gemcitabine