Gemcitabine combined with uracil-tegafur in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer

J Natl Med Assoc. 2009 Aug;101(8):761-4. doi: 10.1016/s0027-9684(15)31003-8.

Abstract

The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of gemcitabine and uracil-tegafur (UFT) combination in patients with advanced pancreatic carcinoma, retrospectively. Thirty-one patients, including 27 with metastatic disease, were treated with gemcitabine at a dose of 1000 mg/m2 in 30 minutes on days 1 and 8, and oral UFT 300 mg/m2 on days 1-14, as the first-line regimen in advanced stage. The cycle was repeated every 21 days. A total of 116 cycles of chemotherapy were administered, with a median of 3 cycles per patient (range 1-13). The objective response rate was observed in 6 (19.3%) patients with 1 (3.2%) complete response, and 5 (16.1%) partial responses. The median response duration was 4 (range, 3-14) months. Eight (25.8%) patients had a standard deviation of more than 3 months. Median overall survival was 8 months (95% CI, 6-10 months) and median time to progression was 4.2 months (95% CI, 1-6 months). This combination was generally well tolerated. There were no life-threatening side effects. Most common toxicities were of hematologic and gastrointestinal nature. In conclusion, this regimen was well tolerated and seemed to have a moderate activity in the palliative treatment of advanced pancreatic carcinoma.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / therapeutic use*
  • Deoxycytidine / administration & dosage
  • Deoxycytidine / analogs & derivatives
  • Female
  • Gemcitabine
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neoplasm Staging
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms / pathology
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Survival Rate
  • Tegafur / administration & dosage
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Uracil / administration & dosage

Substances

  • Deoxycytidine
  • Tegafur
  • Uracil
  • Gemcitabine