Cancer Resources > Cancer News > 2006 > January

Gemcitabine plus platinum analog extends life in pancreatic cancer

Megan Rauscher

Last Updated: 2006-01-27 14:51:55 -0400 (Reuters Health)

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Pooled data from two European randomized studies indicate that adding a platinum-containing drug to gemcitabine extends survival in patients advanced pancreatic cancer who typically have a very poor prognosis.

The combined therapy appears to be associated with acceptable and manageable toxicity and a "clinically relevant" survival advantage over gemcitabine alone, Dr. Volker Heinemann from University Hospital, Munich, noted at a press briefing Friday.

In the pooled analysis of 503 pancreatic cancer patients, overall survival improved from 7.25 months with gemcitabine alone to 9.0 months with gemcitabine plus cisplatin or oxaliplatin -- "a 24% increase, which is significant," Dr. Heinemann said.

To put the findings into perspective, he noted that "without appropriate therapy, median survival is in the range of 3 to 4 months. Single-agent gemcitabine, the present standard of care, is moderately active and prolongs median survival to 5 to 7 months."

Subgroup analyses indicate that younger patients with good performance status and metastatic disease and also with more aggressive disease appear to benefit most from combined therapy, Dr. Heinemann reported.

To date, randomized treatment trials for pancreatic cancer have not demonstrated a clear and significant survival benefit with combination therapy, although a trend for prolonged survival has consistently been reported. "This is probably due to the underpowered nature of these trials," the Munich researcher said.

The current analyses, Dr. Heinemann concluded, show that gemcitabine plus a platinum analog is clearly superior to gemcitabine alone for locally advanced and metastatic pancreatic cancer.

He presented the data during the 2006 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, co-sponsored by the American Gastroenterological Association, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, and the Society of Surgery Oncology.

Copyright © 2010 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.