Gemcitabine: a promising new agent in the treatment of advanced urothelial cancer.

1997 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. 3441-3445 ◽  
Author(s):  
M J Moore ◽  
I F Tannock ◽  
D S Ernst ◽  
S Huan ◽  
N Murray

PURPOSE To evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of gemcitabine (2',2'-difluorodeoxycytidine) in previously untreated patients with advanced transitional cell carcinoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS Forty-one patients with measurable advanced transitional cell carcinoma who had received no prior chemotherapy for metastatic disease were scheduled to receive gemcitabine 1,200 mg/m2 intravenously over 30 minutes on days 1, 8, and 15 of a 28-day cycle. Prior adjuvant or neoadjuvant therapy for locally advanced disease was allowed if this was completed greater than 1 year prior to study entry. All patients were treated on an outpatient basis. RESULTS There were three complete responses and six partial responses seen in 37 assessable patients, for an overall response rate of nine of 37 (24.3%; 95% confidence interval, 12 to 41). Four patients remain in remission at 14, 23, 24, and 31 months. The median survival was 8 months with 17% of patients alive at 2 years. Treatment generally was well-tolerated with three patients having > or = grade 3 nonhematologic toxicity, five having grade 3 neutropenia, two having grade 3 thrombocytopenia, and two episodes of febrile neutropenia. Most patients were able to receive the drug as scheduled with the primary reason for dose reduction or dose delay being neutropenia. CONCLUSION Gemcitabine has promising single-agent activity against urothelial cancer with a favorable toxicity profile. Further studies in combination with other active agents are warranted.

1999 ◽  
Vol 17 (9) ◽  
pp. 2876-2876 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malcolm J. Moore ◽  
Eric W. Winquist ◽  
Nevin Murray ◽  
Ian F. Tannock ◽  
Susan Huan ◽  
...  

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of gemcitabine (2′,2′-difluorodeoxycytidine) plus cisplatin in previously untreated patients with advanced transitional-cell carcinoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty-one patients with measurable advanced transitional-cell carcinoma who had received no prior chemotherapy for metastatic disease were scheduled to receive gemcitabine 1,000 mg/m2 intravenously over 30 minutes on days 1, 8, and 15 and cisplatin 70 mg/m2 over 1 hour on day 2 of a 28-day cycle. Prior adjuvant or neoadjuvant therapy for locally advanced disease was allowed if this was completed more than 1 year before study entry. RESULTS: There were six complete responses and 10 partial responses in 28 assessable patients, for anoverall response rate of 16 of 28 (57%). The response rate on an intent-to-treat basis was 16 of 31 patients (52%). The median survival is 13.2 months, with 18 patients still alive at this time. Toxicity was primarily hematologic, with 12 of 31 patients (39%) having ≥ grade 3 granulocytopenia and 17 of 31 (55%) having ≥ grade 3 thrombocytopenia. Two patients had febrile neutropenia. All patients required a dose modification of gemcitabine at some point in their therapy; the primary reason was thrombocytopenia and/or neutropenia. CONCLUSION: Gemcitabine plus cisplatin is an active regimen for the treatment of urothelial cancer.


1994 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 2264-2270 ◽  
Author(s):  
B J Roth ◽  
R Dreicer ◽  
L H Einhorn ◽  
D Neuberg ◽  
D H Johnson ◽  
...  

PURPOSE To assess the efficacy and toxicity of single-agent paclitaxel as first-line chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced or metastatic transitional-cell carcinoma of the urothelium. PATIENTS AND METHODS Twenty-six eligible patients were enrolled onto this cooperative group study and treated with paclitaxel at a dosage of 250 mg/m2 by 24-hour continuous infusion every 21 days until progression or patient intolerance. All patients received recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) at 5 micrograms/kg/d for at least 10 days during each cycle. RESULTS Eleven of 26 patients (42%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 23% to 63%) demonstrated an objective response, with seven achieving a complete clinical response (CR) (27%; 95% CI, 12% to 48%) and four (15%) a partial response (PR). The median duration of response in the 11 responders is 7+ months (range, 4 to 17), with five responders (four CRs, one PR) remaining progression-free at 5, 6, 10, 12, and 16 months from the start of therapy. The estimated median survival duration for all patients is 8.4 months. Hematologic toxicity consisted of anemia (12% grade 3) and granulocytopenia (4% grade 3, 19% grade 4), with two patients developing granulocytopenic fevers. Nonhematologic toxicity included grade 3 mucositis in 11%, grade 3 neuropathy in 11%, and grade 4 diarrhea in 4%. CONCLUSION Single-agent paclitaxel at this dosage and schedule is one of the most active single agents in previously untreated patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma, and is well tolerated by this patient population when given with hematopoetic growth factor support.


2000 ◽  
Vol 18 (18) ◽  
pp. 3247-3255 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Bellmunt ◽  
V. Guillem ◽  
L. Paz-Ares ◽  
J.L. González-Larriba ◽  
J. Carles ◽  
...  

PURPOSE: To determine the maximum-tolerated dose and the antitumor activity of a combination of paclitaxel, cisplatin, and gemcitabine in advanced transitional-cell carcinoma (TCC) of the urothelium. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with measurable, previously untreated, locally advanced or metastatic TCC and with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status ≤ 2 and creatinine clearance ≥ 55 mL/min were eligible. Cisplatin was given on day 1 at a fixed dose of 70 mg/m2. Paclitaxel and gemcitabine were given on days 1 and 8 at increasing dose levels. Cycles were repeated every 21 days to a maximum of six cycles. RESULTS: Sixty-one patients were registered. In phase I, 15 patients were entered at four different dose levels. Dose-limiting toxicity consisted of early onset (after the first cycle) grade 2 asthenia (two of six patients) and grade 3 asthenia (one of six patients) at dose level 4. A paclitaxel dose of 80 mg/m2 and gemcitabine 1,000 mg/m2 was recommended for phase II, and 46 additional patients were entered at this level for a total of 49 patients. Main nonhematologic toxicity was grade 2 asthenia in 18 patients, with early onset in five patients, and grade 3 in four patients. Grade 3/4 neutropenia and thrombocytopenia occurred in 27 (55%) and 11 (22%) patients, respectively. Overall, febrile neutropenia was seen in 11 patients, and one toxic death occurred because of neutropenic sepsis. The combination was active at all dose levels. In total, 58 of 61 eligible patients were assessable for response; 16 complete responses (27.6%) and 29 partial responses (50%) were observed for an overall response rate of 77.6% (95% confidence interval, 60% to 98%). The median survival time (MST) available for the phase I part of the study is 24.0 months. MST has not been reached for the whole group with the current follow-up. CONCLUSION: This combination of paclitaxel, cisplatin, and gemcitabine is feasible and highly active in patients with advanced TCC of the urothelium. Further evaluation of this regimen in patients with TCC is warranted.


2002 ◽  
Vol 20 (13) ◽  
pp. 2965-2970 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lance C. Pagliaro ◽  
Randall E. Millikan ◽  
Shi-Ming Tu ◽  
Dallas Williams ◽  
Danai Daliani ◽  
...  

PURPOSE: We investigated the feasibility, safety, and antitumor activity of weekly gemcitabine given in combination with low doses of cisplatin and ifosfamide in previously treated patients with advanced transitional-cell carcinoma (TCC) of the urothelium. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with measurable, metastatic or unresectable TCC who had received one or two prior chemotherapy regimens were eligible. On a 28-day course, doses of cisplatin 30 mg/m2, gemcitabine 800 mg/m2, and ifosfamide 1 g/m2 were given on day 1 and then repeated on day 8 and day 15 unless there was dose-limiting hematologic toxicity. RESULTS: Fifty-one patients were registered; 10 patients participated in a pilot study, after which 41 patients were registered onto the phase II protocol. Forty-eight patients (94.1%) had dose-limiting hematologic toxicity on day 8 or day 15. Nonhematologic toxicity of grade 3 or greater consisted mainly of nausea and vomiting (seven patients, 13.7%) and infection (seven patients, 13.7%). Responses could be assessed in 49 of 51 eligible patients; two complete responses (4.1%) and 18 partial responses (36.7%) were observed for an overall response rate of 40.8% (exact 95% confidence interval, 27% to 56%). CONCLUSION: This regimen of cisplatin, gemcitabine, and ifosfamide is not feasible for weekly administration because of hematologic toxicity. Nevertheless, there was promising activity with only two doses per 28-day cycle. On the basis of these results, we have initiated a phase II trial of this combination given as a single dose every 14 days in patients with untreated, metastatic urothelial carcinoma.


2003 ◽  
Vol 21 (12) ◽  
pp. 2247-2253 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lance C. Pagliaro ◽  
Afsaneh Keyhani ◽  
Dallas Williams ◽  
Denise Woods ◽  
Baoshun Liu ◽  
...  

Purpose: We investigated the feasibility, safety, and biologic activity of adenovirus-mediated p53 gene transfer in patients with locally advanced bladder cancer. Patients and Methods: Patients with measurable, locally advanced transitional-cell carcinoma of the bladder who were not candidates for cystectomy were eligible. On a 28-day cycle, intravesical instillations of INGN 201 (Ad5CMV-p53) were administered on days 1 and 4 at three dose levels (1010 particles to 1012 particles) or on either 4 or 8 consecutive days at a single dose level (1012 particles). Results: Thirteen patients received a total of 22 courses without dose-limiting toxicity. Specific transgene expression was detected by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction in bladder biopsy tissue from two of seven assessable patients. There were no changes in p53, p21waf1/cip1, or bax protein levels in bladder epithelium evident from immunohistochemical analysis of 11 assessable patients. Outpatient administration of multiple courses was feasible and well tolerated. A patient with advanced superficial bladder cancer showed evidence of tumor response. Conclusion: Intravesical instillation of Ad5CMV-p53 is safe, feasible, and biologically active when administered in multiple doses to patients with bladder cancer. Observations from this study indicate that this treatment has an antitumor effect in superficial transitional-cell carcinoma. Improvements in the efficiency of gene transfer and the levels of gene expression are required to develop more effective gene therapy for bladder cancer.


2007 ◽  
Vol 25 (18_suppl) ◽  
pp. 5078-5078
Author(s):  
A. Bounedjar ◽  
R. Ferhat ◽  
F. Smaili ◽  
K. Bouzid

5078 Background: Systemic intravenous G is usually used in advanced bladder carcinoma. A phase I study of intravesical G has shown safety profile in pts refractory to BCG therapy (Dalbani G et al JCO 2002; 20:3193–98). In this study we evaluate the toxicity and the efficacy of intravesical G in patients (pts) with superficial bladder carcinoma. Methods: The study population criteria were: age = 18 years old, histological diagnosis of transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of bladder (Cis and pT1) confirmed by transurethral resection (TUR), no prior chemotherapy, a performance status (PS) < 2, good bone marrow reserve, adequate renal and liver function and informed consent. Three weeks after a total TUR, pts receive intravesical instillation of 2,000 mg G every wk for 6 wks, than every month for six months. Evaluation is performed 3–4 wks after the last instillation (CT scan and/or US pelvis, urinary cytology and cystoscopy with biopsy). Results: From February 2003 to June 2004, 60 pts (57M/3F) were enrolled in the study (M/F = 57/3). The median age was 59,5 years old (24–84). Nine pts had a carcinoma in situ (Cis) and 51 had pT1 lesions. They received a total of 720 instillations. All pts were evaluable for toxicity and response Toxicity (CTC/NCI scale) is evaluated over the 720 instillations. Non haematological toxicity was grade 1: irritate bladder reaction (4.7%), asthenia (2.9%), nausea and vomiting (1.8%) and hot flashes (2%). Grade 1 haematological toxicity: anaemia (6.8%), leucopenia (4.5%) and thrombocytopenia (0.4%). After a follow-up time of 30 to 48 months, all pts were evaluable for tumor response: 53 patient had a persistant complete remission after TUR. Five patients (8.3%) had a superficial relapse of TCC (one at six months, 2 at 9 months and 2 others at 12 months). Two patients had progressive disease at 18 months and 27 months. Conclusion: Intravesical G is an active and well tolerated treatment even after repeated instillation in pts with superficial TCC carcinoma of the bladder. No significant financial relationships to disclose.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document