Gemcitabine in Combination with Vinorelbine in Elderly Patients with Anthracycline- and Taxane-Pretreated Metastatic Breast Cancer
February 2012
in “
Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology
”
TLDR The combination of gemcitabine and vinorelbine is effective and safe for treating elderly patients with advanced breast cancer previously treated with anthracyclines and taxanes.
The study evaluated the combination of gemcitabine and vinorelbine in 51 elderly patients with anthracycline- and taxane-pretreated metastatic breast cancer. The median age was 73 years, and they underwent up to 6 cycles of treatment. The results showed an objective response rate of 33.3%, with a median progression-free survival of 6.2 months and a median overall survival of 17.0 months. The treatment caused grade 3 to 4 adverse events such as neutropenia in 25.5% of patients, anemia in 13.7%, thrombocytopenia in 9.8%, and one death due to gastrointestinal hemorrhage. The study concluded that the combination therapy is active and safe for this patient group, with treatment response and performance status being key factors for PFS and OS.
