Weekly gemcitabine and cisplatin concurrent with pelvic irradiation for primary therapy of cervical cancer: report of the first seven cases in Thai women

Addition of gemcitabine to standard therapy in locally advanced cervical cancer: A randomized comparative study

BACKGROUND

The concurrent chemoradiotherapy for cervical cancer treatment is well accepted since 1999. This randomized, phase III trial aimed to observe if any improved outcome could be obtained capitalizing on the synergistic activity of gemcitabine, cisplatin, XRT.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Stage IIB-IIIB, 18-70 years of age, KPS score ≥70, were randomized to control group and study group. Control group received cisplatin 40 mg/m(2) weekly with concurrent XRT, followed by brachytherapy and study group received gemcitabine 125 mg/m(2) weekly top of the same control group treatment. The primary end point was pathological response and toxicities along with patient compliance to treatment, late reactions, DFS and OS. Fifty patients were randomized between two arms.

RESULTS

The complete response in study and control arm was 96% and 88% respectively. Toxicities was significantly high in the study group compared to control group [leucopenia (P=0.015), skin reaction (P=0.03) and bleeding (P=0.019)]. Local recurrence rate: 8% in study arm, none in control arm. The distant failure prevailed in control arm (20% vs. 8%). On a median follow up of 21 months in control arm, the DFS was 73% whereas 83% in study arm in 16 months (P=0.69). OS in the study arm was 100% and 84.5% in the control arm (P=0.14).

CONCLUSIONS

If the toxicity can be managed adequately in the combination chemo radiation group, it may produce an improvement in response. Survival benefit can also be obtained by introducing gemcitabine to cisplatin as radio sensitizer.

Weekly cisplatin or gemcitabine concomitant with radiation in the management of locally advanced carcinoma cervix: results from an observational study

OBJECTIVE

The use of non-platinum drugs in concurrent chemoradiation in carcinoma cervix has not been well explored and hence a two arm study was planned to compare the outcome of concomitant cisplatin or gemcitabine in locally advanced carcinoma cervix.

METHODS

Thirty six patients were evaluated in this study for response rates and complications. These patients were divided into two arms, sixteen patients in the cisplatin arm and twenty patients in the gemcitabine arm. Cisplatin and gemcitabine were given as i.v. infusion at doses of 40 mg/m(2) and 150 mg/m(2) respectively for five weeks concomitant with radiotherapy. All patients had received pelvic radiotherapy to a dose of 50 Gy/25 fraction/5 weeks by four field box technique followed by high-dose-rate brachytherapy (3 sessions, each of 7.5 Gy to point A).

RESULTS

Median follow up was of 10.4 months (range, 3 to 36 months) and 10.9 months (range, 2 to 49 months) in the cisplatin and gemcitabine arms, respectively. At first follow up, 68.8% in the cisplatin arm and 70% in the gemcitabine arm had achieved complete response (p=0.93). Similar response rates were noted in different stages in both arms. None of the patients except one developed grade 4 toxicity. Similar toxicity profiles were observed in both arms. Local disease control, distant disease free survival and overall survival was 68.8% vs. 70%, 93.8% vs. 85%, 68.8% vs. 60% in the cisplatin and gemcitabine arms, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Weekly gemcitabine had similar disease control and tolerable toxicity profile with cisplatin. Gemcitabine may be used as an alternative to cisplatin in patients with compromised renal function.