title: Gemcitabine alone or in combination with cisplatin in patients with biliary tract cancer: a comparative multicentre study in Japan.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A British randomised study of gemcitabine plus cisplatin (GC) combination showed promising results in biliary tract cancer (BTC) patients. In our study, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of this combination compared with gemcitabine alone (G) in Japanese BTC patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Overall, 84 advanced BTC patients were randomised to either cisplatin 25 mg m(-2) plus gemcitabine 1000 mg m(-2) on days 1, 8 of a 21-day cycle (GC-arm), or single-agent gemcitabine 1000 mg m(-2) on days 1, 8 and 15 of a 28-day cycle (G-arm). Treatments were repeated for at least 12 weeks until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity occurred, up to a maximum of 48 weeks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 83 patients were included in the analysis. For the GC and G-arms, respectively, the 1-year survival rate was 39.0 vs 31.0%, median survival time 11.2 vs 7.7 months, median progression-free survival time 5.8 vs 3.7 months and overall response rate 19.5 vs 11.9%. The most common grade 3 or 4 toxicities (GC-arm/G-arm) were neutropenia (56.1%/38.1%), thrombocytopenia (39.0%/7.1%), leukopenia (29.3%/19.0%), haemoglobin decrease (36.6%/16.7%) and gamma-GTP increase (29.3%/35.7%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Gemcitabine plus cisplatin combination therapy was found to be effective and well tolerated, suggesting that it could also be a standard regimen for Japanese patients.
authors.affiliation: Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Oncology Division, National Cancer Center Hospital, 5-1-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0045, Japan. tokusaka@ncc.go.jp
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okusaka
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakachi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fukutomi
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mizuno
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ohkawa
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Funakoshi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nagino
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kondo
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nagaoka
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Funai
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koshiji
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nambu
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Furuse
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miyazaki
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nimura
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001661:Biliary Tract Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003841:Deoxycytidine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D000093542:Gemcitabine
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D003841:Deoxycytidine; D002945:Cisplatin; D000093542:Gemcitabine