Gemcitabine/anthracycline combinations in metastatic breast cancer

Gemcitabine has demonstrated single-agent efficacy in the treatment of advanced breast cancer, with response rates of up to 42%. The agent is well tolerated, with relatively mild side effects, and has limited overlapping toxicities with other drugs used in combination chemotherapy for breast cancer. It is, therefore, a good candidate for inclusion in multidrug regimens for the treatment of this disease. This article reviews results of gemcitabine/anthracycline-containing double- and triple-drug combinations used to treat patients with early-stage and advanced breast cancer. Results from phase I and II trials were promising, with good tolerability and overall response rates ranging from 33%-89% in advanced disease and up to 95% in the neoadjuvant treatment of early-stage disease. A phase III trial is currently comparing gemcitabine/epirubicin/paclitaxel and 5-fluorouracil/epirubicin/cyclophosphamide in patients with advanced breast cancer. Preliminary toxicity data on 78 patients show that both regimens were well tolerated, with similar incidences of treatment-related effects. Additional comparative studies of gemcitabine-containing drug regimens in breast cancer are warranted.