Phase II study of a fixed dose-rate infusion of gemcitabine associated with docetaxel in advanced non-small-cell lung carcinoma

Purpose To evaluate the efficacy and toxicity profile of the combination of docetaxel and prolonged gemcitabine infusion in front-line chemonaive patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Patients and methods A total of 50 chemonaive patients diagnosed with advanced NSCLC according to the AJCC/TNM classification system were included in the present study. Treatment consisted of 1000 mg/m 2 gemcitabine given as a 100-min continuous infusion (10 mg/m 2 per min) on days 1 and 8 of each course and 75 mg/m 2 docetaxel as a 60-min infusion on day 8, repeating each course every 21 days. Results The ECOG performance status of the patients were as follows: 0 (10%), 1 (60%), and 2 (30%). All patients had two-dimensionally measurable disease. Their median age was 63 years (range 41–75 years). Of the 50 patients, 28 (56%) had squamous cell carcinoma, 14 adenocarcinoma (28%), and 8 (16%) large-cell carcinoma, and 40% and 60% of patients presented with stage IIIB and IV disease, respectively. Of those with stage IV disease, 33% had more than one metastatic site. A total of 220 courses were administered with a median of five courses per patient. Of 46 patients assessed for response, 12 (26%) had a partial remission (95% CI 13–39%). In 19 patients (41%) the disease remained stable, while disease progression was observed in 15 (33%). The median time to disease progression was 4 months, and median survival time was 7 months. At 1 year, 25% of patients remained alive, and the main grade 3/4 toxicity (according to the WHO scale) consisted of neutropenia ( n =6, 12%), asthenia ( n =4, 8%), peripheral edema ( n =3, 6%), dyspnea ( n =3, 6%), and diarrhea ( n =2, 4%). Conclusions Prolonged gemcitabine infusion combined with docetaxel is well tolerated and its efficacy is similar to that of other chemotherapeutic schemes used for NSCLC treatment. However, the prolonged infusion of gemcitabine did not appear to result in any improvement in outcome or toxicity versus the standard dose rate.