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Gemcitabine as a single-agent treatment for ovarian cancer
Wesley C Fowler1, Linda Van Le
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
Objective:
Gemcitabine has shown therapeutic activity in a variety of malignancies, including ovarian cancer. This review summarizes both published and unpublished data on the use of gemcitabine as a single agent in the treatment of ovarian cancer.
Methods:
The results of eight clinical trials of gemcitabine in women with advanced (stage III or IV) ovarian cancer whose disease progressed despite previous heavy treatment (one to four previous courses) with platin-based chemotherapy or taxanes were reviewed.
Results:
Gemcitabine, given as a single weekly infusion of 800-1200 mg/m(2) for 3 consecutive weeks, followed by a week of rest, produced at least a partial remission in 11 to 22% of the patients studied. Median survival was prolonged after gemcitabine therapy, and stable disease was documented in 41 to 52% of patients in four of the eight studies reviewed. Toxicity was minimal and was mostly hematologic.
Conclusions:
Gemcitabine is obviously active as monotherapy in patients with recurrent stage III or IV ovarian cancer and appears to be very well tolerated.