A Phase II Trial of Gemcitabine plus Capecitabine for Patients with Advanced Pancreatic Cancer.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy and safety of treatment using gemcitabine and capecitabine for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.


METHODS
Patients with advanced unresectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma were enrolled in the study. Inclusion criteria included no prior systemic chemotherapy or radiation therapy, at least one radiographically documented and measurable tumor lesion, and adequate patient organ functions. The patients received 1,000 mg/m(2) gemcitabine intravenously on days 1, 8 and 15, and 830 mg/m(2) of oral capecitabine twice a day on days 1-21 of a 28-day cycle.


RESULTS
Fifty patients with a median age of 53 years (range, 39 to 76 years) were enrolled in the study. The median follow-up was 10.0 months. The objective response rate of the 50 patients was 48.0% (95% CI, 22.5 to 57.1%). The median time to progression and overall survival were 6.5 months (95% CI, 2.3 to 8.7 months) and 10.0 months (95% CI, 5.7 to 16.7 months), respectively. Grade 3-4 toxicities associated with chemotherapy included neutropenia (22%), anemia (8%), thrombocytopenia (6%), and hand-foot syndrome (10%).


CONCLUSIONS
Combination chemotherapy using gemcitabine and capecitabine was well tolerated and demonstrated promising efficacy in the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer.
Division of Oncology-Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University Guro Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Jong Gwon
JG
Choi
Jae Hong
JH
Seo
Sang Cheul
SC
Oh
Chul Won
CW
Choi
Jun Suk
JS
Kim