title: The emerging role of gemcitabine in conditioning regimens for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
abstract: The specific combination for conditioning regimens in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation continues to be a premier area of focus in research. Although conditioning regimens have significantly evolved over time, obstacles continue to persist, including regimen-related toxicities, graft-versus-host disease, and disease relapse. Gemcitabine (2',2'-difluoro 2'-deoxycytidine, dFdC) is a pyrimidine nucleoside analog that distinguishes itself from other agents in the class by possessing a favorable pharmacokinetic and cytotoxic profile, while maintaining acceptable toxicities. Given the desirable properties, gemcitabine has garnered much attention and been assessed in several conditioning regimens. In this article, we review the pharmacology of gemcitabine with other nucleoside analogs and report the findings of pivotal trials conducted in both autologous and allogeneic transplantation. The positive results suggest a potential future role for gemcitabine and necessitate the need to conduct studies to further define its role.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas. Electronic address: ewang4@mdanderson.org.
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Alison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gulbis
authors.affiliation: Oncology Pharmacy, Community Health Network, Indianapolis, Indiana.
authors.forename: James W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Hart
authors.affiliation: Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Yago
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nieto
mesh_terms: D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003841:Deoxycytidine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019172:Transplantation Conditioning / Q000379:methods*; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous / Q000379:methods*; D000093542:Gemcitabine
chemical_list: D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; D003841:Deoxycytidine; D000093542:Gemcitabine
keywords: Gemcitabine; Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation