Weekly Low-doses with Prolonged Infusion of Gemcitabine /Cisplatin for Multi-treated Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients

Flavia      Morales-Vásquez; Horacio   Noé   López-Basave; Carmen      Méndez-Herrera; Laura   L.   Tirado-Gómez; Eva   Ruvalcaba   Limón; Sergio   A.   Rodríguez-Cuevas

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Breast cancer is a serious health problem; 1.3 million women worldwide will be diagnosed with breast cancer each year, 465,000 will die annually. In Mexico, the disease represents 49% of neoplasms in women. Metastatic disease is the main cause of death in women with breast cancer (BC) making it important to identify chemotherapy (CT) schedules that offer the best response rate and palliation.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: From October 2009 to August 2011, 37 breast cancer patients previously treated for metastatic disease (BC) and a minimum of two prior CT lines were treated with gemcitabine (G) (Total dose 200mg) plus Cisplatin ( C ) (Total dose 50mg) weekly. Patients were included following histological confirmation of breast cancer as the primary site and disease had to be clinically measurable or determined according to the RECIST method by ultrasound or conventional computer tomography (CT).

RESULTS: The median age was 52 years ; 92% were ductal carcinoma; all patients presented evidence of disease progression; received another treatment regimen and palliative chemotherapy in various lines; all patients were exposed to regimens with anthracyclines and 12 (32.4%) received taxanes. 51 % had received surgical intervention. The median metastatic site was 2 (range 1-4) the most frequent metastatic sites being the lung (35 %), liver (18.9 %) and central nervous system (16.2 %).

CONCLUSION: The weekly administration of low-dose gemcitabine and conventional dose of cisplatin is an active and well-tolerated regimen with response rates similar to those reported in most other treatment options.

Keywords: Gemcitabine, Cisplatin, Breast cancer, Metastic Keywords.

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