title: Weekly Paclitaxel after failure of gemcitabine in pancreatic cancer patients with malignant ascites: a retrospective study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Peritoneal metastasis is one of the major sites of disease progression of pancreatic cancer. There have been few trials in the second-line setting after gemcitabine failure because patients can hardly be candidates for chemotherapy after failure in the first-line chemotherapy, especially those with malignant ascites. The safety and efficacy of weekly paclitaxel therapy was evaluated for pancreatic cancer patients with malignant ascites in this retrospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  The subjects of this retrospective study were 23 advanced pancreatic cancer patients with malignant ascites who received weekly paclitaxel therapy after gemcitabine failure. Paclitaxel (80 mg/m(2), div. for 1 h) was administered on Days 1, 8 and 15, every 4 weeks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  While the disease control rate was 35%, decrease of ascites was obtained in 30% of the patients and ascites control rate was 61%. The median survival time was 101 days. Toxicities were mild, although one treatment-related death occurred.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Weekly paclitaxel therapy may be useful treatment option for pancreatic cancer patients with malignant ascites after gemcitabine failure.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Shizuoka Cancer Center, 1007, Nagaizumi, Shizuoka 411-8777, Japan. tshukuya@juntendo.ac.jp
authors.forename: Takehito
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shukuya
authors.forename: Hirofumi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yasui
authors.forename: Narikazu
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Boku
authors.forename: Yusuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Onozawa
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fukutomi
authors.forename: Kentaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamazaki
authors.forename: Keisei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Taku
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kojima
authors.forename: Nozomu
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Machida
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001201:Ascites / Q000209:etiology*; D003841:Deoxycytidine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017239:Paclitaxel / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*; D010534:Peritoneal Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000556:secondary; D011788:Quality of Life; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017211:Treatment Failure; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D000093542:Gemcitabine
chemical_list: D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D003841:Deoxycytidine; D017239:Paclitaxel; D000093542:Gemcitabine