Phase II study of a fixed dose-rate infusion of gemcitabine associated with erlotinib in advanced pancreatic cancer

• Published in: Cancer chemotherapy and pharmacology Vol. 67; no. 1; pp. 215 - 221
• Main Authors: Feliu, J, Borrega, P, León, A, López-Gómez, L, López, M, Castro, J, Belda-Iniesta, C, Barriuso, J, Martínez, V, González-Barón, M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Berlin/Heidelberg : Springer-Verlag 2011; Springer-Verlag; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Aged; Antineoplastic agents; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols - administration & dosage; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols - adverse effects; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols - therapeutic use; Biological and medical sciences; Cancer Research; Clinical Trial Report; Deoxycytidine - administration & dosage; Deoxycytidine - analogs & derivatives; Disease Progression; Erlotinib; Erlotinib Hydrochloride; FDR; Female; Gastroenterology. Liver. Pancreas. Abdomen; Gemcitabine; Humans; Liver. Biliary tract. Portal circulation. Exocrine pancreas; Male; Medical sciences; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Neoplasm Metastasis; Oncology; Pancreatic cancer; Pancreatic carcinoma; Pancreatic Neoplasms - drug therapy; Pancreatic Neoplasms - pathology; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Pharmacology/Toxicology; Quinazolines - administration & dosage; Survival; Treatment Outcome; Tumors; Pancreatic carcinoma; Gemcitabine; Erlotinib; FDR; Antineoplastic agent; Quinazoline derivatives; Pancreas cancer; Phase II trial; Advanced stage; Protein-tyrosine kinase; Pyrimidine nucleoside; Pancreatic disease; Human; Enzyme; Tyrosine kinase inhibitor; Transferases; Enzyme inhibitor; Malignant tumor; Dose rate; Treatment; Antimetabolic; Perfusion; Pyrimidine derivatives; Digestive diseases; Fluorine Organic compounds; Cancer; Pancreas carcinoma
• ISSN: 0344-5704; 1432-0843
• DOI: 10.1007/s00280-010-1472-0

Purpose To evaluate the feasibility, toxicity and efficacy of the combination regimen consisting of gemcitabine-FDR infusion plus erlotinib, in ACP patients. Methods Forty-two patients with histologically confirmed, locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer were included in this phase II trial. Main objectives were to assess the efficacy and safety of this regimen. Therapeutic regimen consisted of gemcitabine 1,200 mg/m² in 120-min infusion on days 1, 8 and 15, plus erlotinib 100 mg orally once daily. Cycles were repeated every 28 days. Results A total of 160 courses of gemcitabine-FDR erlotinib were administered (median 3.8 courses per patient). The most common grade 3-4 AEs were neutropenia (21%), thrombocytopenia (10%), skin rash (10%) and asthenia (10%). Complete response was achieved in one patient (2%) and 11 (26%) achieved a partial response. Stable disease and progression disease were observed in 11 patients (26%) and 19 (45%), respectively. Median time to progression was 5 months (95%CI: 3.9-5.8 months) and median overall survival was 8 months (95% CI: 5.1-10.8). One-year survival rate was 35%. Conclusions A regimen consisting of gemcitabine-FDR infusion plus erlotinib is active and well tolerated in APC patients. However, the results do not justify the conduct of a Phase III trial.