A follow-up study of 25 patients with pancreatic cancer receiving gemcitabine and cisplatin and 21-h infusional 5-fluorouracil

Objective

The purpose of this study was to assess clinical characteristics and survival of patients with advanced pancreatic cancer who were treated with gemcitabine, cisplatin, and 21-h infusional 5-fluorouracil (5-FU).

Methods

This study was a prospective, observational study at a medical center in Western Iran. The clinical and survival data from 25 patients treated with gemcitabine, cisplatin, and 21-h infusional 5-FU at our center were prospectively assessed. Patients received chemotherapy consisting of cycles of continuous infusion of 5-FU (650 mg/m²) for 21 h on Days 1, 2, 3, and 4. Gemcitabine was administered at a dose of 1 g/m² on Days 1 and 8, and cisplatin was administered at a dose of 60 mg/m² on Day 1, with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) support. Each cycle was repeated every 21 days for 5−6 cycles.

Results

A total of 25 patients with an age range of 39−73 years were studied. One out of the two patients with stage Ⅱ cancer survived for more than 43 months. Four out of the 14 patients with stage Ⅲ cancer survived for more than 15 months. Seventeen patients died, and eight subjects were alive at the end of the study. The mean and median of overall survival (OS) rates for the 25 patients were 20 and 12 months, respectively. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 6 months.

Conclusion

It seems that the triple therapy with gemcitabine, cisplatin, and infusional 5-FU afforded significant PFS and OS benefits in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.