Weekly Paclitaxel after failure of gemcitabine in pancreatic cancer patients with malignant ascites: a retrospective study.
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.
Shukuya
Takehito
T
Division of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Shizuoka Cancer Center, 1007, Nagaizumi, Shizuoka 411-8777, Japan. tshukuya@juntendo.ac.jp
Yasui
Hirofumi
H
Boku
Narikazu
N
Onozawa
Yusuke
Y
Fukutomi
Akira
A
Yamazaki
Kentaro
K
Taku
Keisei
K
Kojima
Takashi
T
Machida
Nozomu
N
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
D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D003841:Deoxycytidine; D017239:Paclitaxel; D000093542:Gemcitabine