Does the Sequence of Anthracycline and Taxane Matter? The NeoSAMBA Trial.

BACKGROUND: Taxanes usually follow anthracyclines in breast cancer neo/adjuvant treatment, likely because of their later introduction into clinical practice. However, there is no biological rationale that justifies this current standard of care. We compared a taxane followed by an anthracycline-based regimen with the reverse sequence in the neoadjuvant setting. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In a randomized, open-label, single-center phase II trial, women with inoperable, locally advanced, HER2-negative breast cancer were stratified by hormone receptor status and randomized to three cycles of docetaxel (T) followed by three cycles of fluorouracil, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide (FAC) versus three cycles of FAC followed by three cycles of docetaxel. Surgery, radiotherapy, and adjuvant hormonal therapy were administered as per local guidelines. The primary endpoint was pathological complete response (pCR), and secondary endpoints included toxicity, event-free survival (EFS), and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: Treatment sequence did not improve pCR, which was 7% with T-FAC and 3% with FAC-T. However, after a median follow-up of 79 months, the 5-year EFS rate was 75.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 65.4%-87.7%) with T-FAC and 48.2% (95% CI, 37.0%-62.7%) with FAC-T (hazard ratio [HR], 0.46; 95% CI, 0.26-0.81; log-rank p = .0054), and the 5-year OS rate was 89.7% (95% CI, 82.2%-97.8%) with T-FAC and 64.7% (95% CI, 53.6%-78.1%) with FAC-T (HR, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.22-0.78; p = .0052). There were no unexpected toxicities. CONCLUSION: We showed for the first time an improvement in EFS and OS with taxane-first compared with anthracycline-first sequencing chemotherapy in HER2-negative, locally advanced breast cancer. Confirmation of these results may have implications for clinical practice. This trial was registered with Clinicatrials.gov identifier NCT01270373. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The NeoSAMBA trial showed a benefit for taxane-first sequencing chemotherapy consistent with the systematic review of the literature as well as the larger Neo-tAnGo study. Many recent and current ongoing clinical trials have already followed this treatment strategy. As a taxane-before-anthracycline sequence carries neither an incremental cost nor an increased toxicity, and given the available literature on this issue, reinforced that taxane-first regimen can be easily incorporated into daily clinical practice while awaiting confirmation of these findings from larger trials.

Phase 2 trial of erlotinib combined with cisplatin and radiotherapy in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer.

BACKGROUND: Cisplatin-based chemoradiation (CRT) is the standard treatment for patients with locally advanced cervical cancer. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is frequently overexpressed in cervical cancer, and EGFR inhibition itself has antitumor effects and potentiates CRT. Results of a previous phase 1 trial of the EGFR inhibitor erlotinib combined with cisplatin-based CRT (E + CRT) recommended a phase 2 erlotinib dose of 150 mg/day. METHODS: Eligibility criteria included International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage IIB to IIIB epidermoid cervical cancer, no prior therapy, and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 to 2. Patients received erlotinib at a dose of 150 mg/day 1 week before and in combination with cisplatin (40 mg/m(2) administered weekly for 5 cycles) and radiotherapy (4500 centigrays in 25 fractions), followed by brachytherapy (4 fractions at a dose of 600 centigrays weekly). RESULTS: A total of 36 patients completed treatment with E + CRT. The median duration of therapy was 77 days and the median follow-up period was 59.3 months. The therapy was well tolerated overall, and 34 patients (94.4%) achieved a complete response. The 2-year and 3-year cumulative overall and progression-free survival rates were 91.7% and 80.6% and 80% and 73.8%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with E + CRT appears to be safe and exerts significant activity against locally advanced cervical cancer. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to date to demonstrate that a target agent has promising activity against locally advanced cervical cancer.

Influence of sentinel lymph node tumor burden on survival in melanoma.

BACKGROUND: Completion lymph node dissection (CLND) is the standard procedure for patients with positive sentinel lymph nodes (SLN). With extensive pathological workup, increased numbers of small metastatic deposits are detected in SLN. This study evaluated the prognostic significance of SLN metastatic deposits < or = 0.2 mm in patients treated in a referral cancer center in Brazil. METHODS: Patients with stage I/II melanoma, consecutively submitted to a SLN procedure by the same surgeon from 2000 to 2006, were evaluated. All positive SLN and randomly selected negative cases were reviewed by two pathologists. Different prognostic factors and SLN tumor burden were recorded. Additional positive non-SLN after CLND, and disease outcome were evaluated. RESULTS: Of 381 patients who underwent SLN biopsy, 103 (27%) were positive. The mean/median Breslow tumor thickness in the overall group was 3.4/2.0 mm and in the SLN positive patients was 5.72/4.0 mm. Among these patients, 48 (47%) had metastatic deposits >2 mm (macrometastasis), 49 (47%) had metastatic deposits < or =2 mm but >0.2 mm (micrometastasis), and 6 (6%) had metastatic deposits < or =0.2 mm (submicrometastasis). Additional positive non-SLN were detected in 29% of patients with macrometastasis, in 25% of patients with micrometastasis, and in 0% of patients with submicrometastases. At median follow-up of 35 months, the estimated 3-year overall survival was 92% for negative SLN, 64% for micrometastases, 53% for macrometastases, and 100% for submicrometastases (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: In the present study, patients with SLN metastatic deposits < or =0.2 mm had no additional positive non-SLNs, and no recurrences or deaths were recorded, suggesting that their prognosis is equivalent to that of patients with negative SLN.

Interferon-inducible guanylate binding protein (GBP)-2: a novel p53-regulated tumor marker in esophageal squamous cell carcinomas.

TP53 mutations are common in esophageal squamous cell carcinomas (SCC). To identify biological markers of possible relevance in esophageal SCC, we (i) searched for genes expressed in a p53-dependent manner in TE-1, an esophageal SCC cell line expressing the temperature-sensitive TP53 mutant V272M, and (ii) investigated the expression of one of those genes, the interferon-inducible Guanylate Binding Protein 2 (GBP-2), in esophageal SCC tissues. Clontech Human Cancer 1.2 arrays containing 1,176 human cancer gene-related sequences were used to identify differentially expressed genes in TE-1 cells at permissive (32 degrees C) and nonpermissive (37 degrees C) temperatures. The expression of GBP-2 and IRF-1, its main transcriptional regulator, was analyzed by immunohistochemistry in a retrospective series of 41 esophageal SCC cases with a clear transition zone from noncancer, apparently normal epithelium to invasive cancer. The expression of the GBP-2 gene is consistently increased in TE-1 at 32 degrees C in a p53-dependent manner, as confirmed by inhibition of p53 expression by RNA interference. Increase in GBP-2 is accompanied by an increase in protein levels of IRF-1, the main transcriptional regulator of GBP-2, and in the formation of complexes between p53 and IRF-1. GBP-2 expression is significantly higher in esophageal SCC than in adjacent normal epithelium (p<0.01), in which GBP-2 staining is limited to the basal layer. Our results suggest that p53 up-regulates GBP-2 by cooperating with IRF-1. The association of GBP-2 expression with proliferative squamous cells suggests that GBP-2 may represent a marker of interest in esophageal SCC.

Phase I trial of erlotinib combined with cisplatin and radiotherapy for patients with locally advanced cervical squamous cell cancer.

PURPOSE: This phase I trial was aimed to determine the maximum tolerated dose and related toxicity of erlotinib (E) when administered concurrently with standard chemoradiation (CRT) for cervical cancer. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: In a modified Fibonacci design, the study aimed to study three cohorts of at least three patients receiving escalating doses of erlotinib (50/100/150 mg) combined with cisplatin (40 mg/m(2), weekly, 5 cycles) and radiotherapy (external beam 4,500 cGy in 25 fractions, followed by 4 fractions/600 cGy/weekly of brachytherapy) in squamous cell cervical carcinoma patients, stage IIB to IIIB. RESULTS: Fifteen patients were enrolled, 3 at dose level (DL) 50 mg, 4 at DL 100 mg, and 8 at DL 150 mg. Patients presented median age 47 (36-59), stage IIB (46.2%) and IIIB (53.8%). Overall, E+CRT was well-tolerated. Three patients did not complete the planned schedule. One patient at DL 100 mg withdrew informed consent due to grade 2 rash; at DL 150 mg, 1 patient presented Raynaud's Syndrome and had C interrupted, and another patient presented grade 4 hepatotoxicity. The latter was interpreted as dose limiting toxicity and a new cohort of 150 mg was started. No further grade 4 toxicity occurred. Grade 3 toxicity occurred in 6 cases: diarrhea in 3 patients, rash in 2 patients, and leukopenia in 1 patient. E+CRT did not lead to limiting in-field toxicity. CONCLUSIONS: E+CRT is feasible to locally advanced squamous cell cervical cancer and is well tolerated. The maximum tolerated dose has been defined as 150 mg. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a combination of erlotinib, cisplatin, and pelvic radiotherapy.

Impact of previous tracheotomy as a prognostic factor in patients with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx submitted to concomitant chemotherapy and radiation.

HYPOTHESIS: The combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy is a standard nonsurgical treatment for locally advanced laryngeal cancer. Nevertheless, there are no validated markers to predict the outcome of nonsurgical therapies. The impact of previous tracheotomy is not clear in patients submitted to concomitant chemoradiotherapy. STUDY DESIGN: A non-randomized prospective study. Prognostic factors such as stage, age, performance status, number of chemotherapy cycles, radiotherapy dose, stage VIb disease, and previous tracheotomy were analyzed using the Cox's proportional hazard model. The Kaplan-Meier and log rank tests were used to evaluate the progression-free and overall survival. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with stage III/IV laryngeal carcinoma were prospectively selected. Treatment consisted of cisplatin 100 mg/m(2) every 3 weeks for 3 cycles, radiotherapy to a total dose of 70.2 Gy and salvage surgery. RESULTS: Forty-nine patients were analyzed; tracheotomy was performed in 12 patients (24.5%) before therapy. Patients who had previous tracheotomy had a lower rate of complete response (41.7 vs. 75%, p = 0.034, HR 0.55, CI 95% 0.27-1.11), shorter progression free-survival (HR 2.83, CI 95% 1.60-4.88, p < 0.001), and median overall survival (12 vs. 56 months, HR 2.37, CI 95% 1.43-3.93, p < 0.001), in comparison to those without a tracheotomy. Moreover a significant difference was observed in 3-year survival rates (6 vs. 61%, p = 0.001), in favor of the group without tracheotomy. Interestingly, the impact of previous tracheotomy was not altered when adjusted by other prognostic factors (HR 8.7, CI 95% 3.1-24.0, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Previous tracheotomy is a negative prognostic factor for patients submitted to chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy and should be considered as a negative clinical prognostic factor in the selection of patients for more aggressive treatment strategies.

Phase II trial of neoadjuvant chemotherapy using alternating doublets in non-small-cell lung cancer.

PURPOSE: Lung cancer is an epidemic disease in developing countries. Incorporation of new active drugs in the neoadjuvant treatment of operable patients might lead to improved outcomes. Postchemotherapy mediastinal-based treatment decisions allow for in vivo testing of activity and could help to determine the ideal local treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This phase II trial enrolled patients with documented non-small-cell lung cancer, clinically staged IB-IIIA, and considered candidates for surgical resection. Patients received 3 cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy with alternating doublets: cisplatin/gemcitabine; gemcitabine/vinorelbine, and cisplatin/vinorelbine. After neoadjuvant treatment, clinical restaging was performed. Patients without evidence of progression underwent mediastinoscopy. Those with negative mediastinal nodes were taken to surgery whereas those with positive nodes were treated with radiation therapy. RESULTS: Between January 2001 and August 2002, 30 patients were included. The median age was 56 years, 66% of the patients were men, 43% of the patients had adenocarcinoma, and 34% had squamous cell carcinoma. Clinical staging was IB in 9 patients (30%), IIB in 7 (23%), and IIIA in 14 (47%). Median tumor size was 6.5 cm (range, 3-11 cm). Twenty-three patients (77%) had clinical response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Eight of 12 patients (67%) with N2 disease had clinical downstaging. Twenty-two patients (73%) were taken to surgery. Complete resection rate was achieved in 21 patients (70%). Treatment was well tolerated. CONCLUSION: Localized non-small-cell lung cancer is very sensitive to chemotherapy. Postchemotherapy mediastinal-based treatment decision led to a high complete resection rate, even in patients with large tumors. This strategy deserves further investigation.

Long-term survival of a randomized phase III trial of head and neck cancer patients receiving concurrent chemoradiation therapy with or without low-level laser therapy (LLLT) to prevent oral mucositis.

BACKGROUND: The impact of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) to prevent oral mucositis in patients treated with exclusive chemoradiation therapy remains unknown. This study evaluated the overall, disease-free and progression-free survival of these patients. METHODS: Overall, disease-free and progression-free survival of 94 patients diagnosed with oropharynx, nasopharynx, and hypopharynx cancer, who participated on a phase III study, was evaluated from 2007 to 2015. The patients were subjected to conventional radiotherapy plus cisplatin every 3weeks. LLLT was applied with an InGaAlP diode (660nm-100mW-1J-4J/cm2). RESULTS: With a median follow-up of 41.3months (range 0.7-101.9), patients receiving LLLT had a statistically significant better complete response to treatment than those in the placebo group (LG=89.1%; PG=67.4%; p=0.013). Patients subjected to LLLT also displayed increase in progression-free survival than those in the placebo group (61.7% vs. 40.4%; p=0.030; HR:1:93; CI 95%: 1.07-3.5) and had a tendency for better overall survival (57.4% vs. 40.4%; p=0.90; HR:1.64; CI 95%: 0.92-2.91). CONCLUSION: This is the first study to suggest that LLLT may improve survival of head and neck cancer patients treated with chemoradiotherapy. Further studies, with a larger sample, are necessary to confirm our findings.

Cost-effectiveness of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) in head and neck cancer patients receiving concurrent chemoradiation.

BACKGROUND: Oral mucositis is a major event increasing treatment costs of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients treated with chemoradiation (CRT). This study was designed to estimate the cost-effectiveness of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) to prevent oral mucositis in HNSCC patients receiving CRT. METHODS: From June 2007 to December 2010, 94 patients with HNSCC of nasopharynx, oropharynx, and hypopharynx entered a prospective, randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled, phase III trial. CRT consisted of conventional radiotherapy (RT: 70.2 Gy, 1.8 Gy/d, 5 times/wk)+concurrent cisplatin (100mg/m2) every 3 weeks. An InGaAlP (660 nm-100 mW-4J/cm2) laser diode was used for LLLT. RESULTS: From the perspective of Brazil's public health care system (SUS), total costs were higher in Placebo Group (PG) than Laser Group (LG) for opioid use (LG=US$ 9.08, PG=US$ 44.28), gastrostomy feeding (LG=US$ 50.50, PG=US$ 129.86), and hospitalization (PG=US$ 77.03). In LG, the cost was higher for laser therapy only (US$ 1880.57). The total incremental cost associated with the use of LLLT was US$ 1689.00 per patient. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was US$ 4961.37 per grade 3-4 OM case prevented compared to no treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that morbidity was lower in the Laser Group and that LLLT was more cost-effective than placebo up to a threshold of at least US$ 5000 per mucositis case prevented. CLINICAL TRIAL INFORMATION: NCT01439724.

Phase III trial of low-level laser therapy to prevent oral mucositis in head and neck cancer patients treated with concurrent chemoradiation.

BACKGROUND: Oral mucositis (OM) is a complication of chemoradiotherapy treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients with no effective therapy. This study was designed to assess the efficacy of preventive low-level laser therapy (LLLT) in reducing the incidence of grade 3-4 OM. MATERIAL AND METHODS: From June 2007 to December 2010, 94 HNSCC patients entered a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase III trial. Chemoradiotherapy consisted of conventional radiotherapy plus concurrent cisplatin every 3weeks. A diode InGaAlP (660nm-100mW-1J-4J/cm(2)) was used. OM evaluation was performed by WHO and OMAS scales and quality of life by EORTC questionnaires (QLQ). RESULTS: A six-fold decrease in the incidence of grades 3-4 OM was detected in the LLLT group compared to the placebo; (6.4% versus 40.5%). LLLT impacted the incidence of grades 3-4 OM to a relative risk ratio of 0.158 (CI 95% 0.050-0.498). After treatment QLQ-C30 showed, differences favoring LLLT in physical, emotional functioning, fatigue, and pain; while the QLQ-H&N35 showed improvements in LLLT arm for pain, swallowing, and trouble with social eating. CONCLUSION: Preventive LLLT in HNSCC patients receiving chemoradiotherapy is an effective tool for reducing the incidence of grade 3-4 OM. Efficacy data were corroborated by improvements seen in quality of life.

Randomized phase III trial of single-agent pemetrexed versus carboplatin and pemetrexed in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 2.

PURPOSE: To compare single-agent pemetrexed (P) versus the combination of carboplatin and pemetrexed (CP) in first-line therapy for patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status (PS) of 2. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In a multicenter phase III randomized trial, patients with advanced NSCLC, ECOG PS of 2, any histology at first and later amended to nonsquamous only, no prior chemotherapy, and adequate organ function were randomly assigned to P alone (500 mg/m(2)) or CP (area under the curve of 5 and 500 mg/m(2), respectively) administered every 3 weeks for a total of four cycles. The primary end point was overall survival (OS). RESULTS: A total of 205 eligible patients were enrolled from eight centers in Brazil and one in the United States from April 2008 to July 2011. The response rates were 10.3% for P and 23.8% for CP (P = .032). In the intent-to-treat population, the median PFS was 2.8 months for P and 5.8 months for CP (hazard ratio [HR], 0.46; 95% CI, 0.35 to 0.63; P < .001), and the median OS was 5.3 months for P and 9.3 months for CP (HR, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.46 to 0.83; P = .001). One-year survival rates were 21.9% and 40.1%, respectively. Similar results were seen when patients with squamous disease were excluded from the analysis. Anemia (grade 3, 3.9%; grade 4, 11.7%) and neutropenia (grade 3, 1%; grade 4, 6.8%) were more frequent with CP. There were four treatment-related deaths in the CP arm. CONCLUSION: Combination chemotherapy with CP significantly improves survival in patients with advanced NSCLC and ECOG PS of 2.

Mitomycin-C- or cisplatin-based chemoradiotherapy for anal canal carcinoma: long-term results.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the long-term efficacy of concurrent radiotherapy with mitomycin-C (MMC)-based or cisplatin (CP)-based combinations in a cohort of patients with locally advanced anal canal carcinoma. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Between 1988 and 2000, 179 patients with locally advanced anal canal carcinoma were treated at the Instituto Nacional de Câncer with two cycles of chemotherapy during Weeks 1 and 5 of radiotherapy. 5-Fluorouracil (750 mg/m(2) 120-hour infusion or 1,000 mg/m(2) 96-hour infusion) plus CP (100 mg/m(2)) on the first day of each cycle or MMC (10-15 mg/m(2)) on the first day of Cycle 1 was administered concurrent with radiotherapy (total dose, 55-59.4 Gy). Of the 179 patients, 60% were included from a randomized trial initiated at the Instituto Nacional de Câncer in 1991 that compared concurrent chemoradiotherapy with MMC vs. CP. RESULTS: The median follow-up for the whole chemoradiotherapy group was 83 months. The median patient age was 58 years, 57% had Stage T3-T4 tumors, and 35% had N-positive disease. The 5-year cumulative colostomy rate was not significantly different between the CP group (22%) and MMC group (29%; p = .28). The actuarial 10-year overall survival and disease-free survival rate for the CP group was 54% and 49% and for the MMC group was 52% and 53%, respectively (p = .32 and p = .92, respectively). On multivariate analysis, male gender (p = .042) and advanced Stage T3-T4 disease (p <.0001) were statistically significant for worse disease-free survival. Stage T3-T4 (p = .039) and N+ (p = .039) disease remained independently significant for overall survival. CONCLUSION: Long-term follow-up has confirmed the good results of chemoradiotherapy with CP plus 5-fluorouracil, which seem to provide results equivalent to those with MMC plus 5-fluorouracil.

XAF1 mRNA expression improves progression-free and overall survival for patients with advanced bladder cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate whether mRNA expression of the apoptosis-associated genes, XAF1 and XIAP, in bladder cancer patients correlates with response to neoadjuvant treatment. METHODS: Gene expression was analyzed by a real-time quantitative PCR method in paired samples from 14 bladder cancer patients treated with a combination of neoadjuvant gemcitabine and cisplatin. The prognostic significance of XAF1 and XIAP mRNA expression as well as the correlation with several clinical and pathological findings were evaluated. RESULTS: The clinical response in the XAF1-high subset (n = 5) was remarkably higher compared with the XAF1-low subset (n = 9) (100% vs. 44.4%; P = 0.038). These results translated into a notably improvement of progression-free survival (PFS) in the XAF1-high subset (log-rank P = 0.012). In addition, patients in the XAF1-high subset had a 3.9-fold decreased chance of dying from the disease (hazard ratio for death (HR), 0.257; (CI 95%), 0.043-1.536, P = 0.036). When we evaluated the expression of XIAP, although an inverse correlation was found between expression and pathological response, there were no statistically significant associations with the clinical response, the length of PFS, and OS. CONCLUSIONS: This is one of the few studies to address the role of XAF1 in a clinical setting. The data presented here identify XAF1 as a novel predictive and prognostic factor in bladder cancer patients. Furthermore, our observations are in line with previous studies, which point towards XAF1 as a tumor-suppressor gene. Nonetheless, additional studies, both mechanistic and translational, are warranted and may help not only in corroborating the role of XAF1 as a prognostic marker, but also as a potential target for anticancer therapy.

Phase II trial of neoadjuvant gemcitabine and cisplatin in patients with resectable bladder carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: Gemcitabine and cisplatin (GC) is an active combination in the treatment of metastatic bladder cancer. We have prospectively analyzed the efficacy and tolerability of GC as neoadjuvant treatment of invasive bladder cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this single-institution phase II trial, patients with muscle-invasive transitional cell carcinoma received three cycles of gemcitabine 1200 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8 with cisplatin 75 mg/m2 on day 1 prior to surgery. Radiologic response was evaluated by computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. All patients were referred to surgery after chemotherapy completion. RESULTS: Between June 2002 and March 2005, 22 patients (19 males) were enrolled. Median age was 63 years. Initial stage was II (T2) in 11 and III (T3-4) in 11 patients. Median follow-up is 26 months (4-43). Partial or complete radiologic response rate was documented in 13 out of 20 assessable patients (70%). One patient was excluded due to sarcomatoid carcinoma at definitive pathologic examination. Cystectomy was performed in 15 patients and pelvic radiotherapy in four patients. Nine out of 21 patients (43%) relapsed and four (19%) died due to disease progression. Complete pathologic response was observed in four patients (26.7% of 15). Median progression-free survival was 27 months (CI 95% not reached) with median overall survival of 36 months (CI 95%: 28.7 - 43.3). Grade III/IV toxicity was infrequent, with no deaths due to chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of GC is effective and well-tolerated when used as neoadjuvant therapy in muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Longer follow-up is necessary to evaluate its impact on the overall survival of these patients.

Phase II trial of neoadjuvant gemcitabine and cisplatin in patients with resectable bladder carcinoma

OBJECTIVES: Gemcitabine and cisplatin (GC) is an active combination in the treatment of metastatic bladder cancer. We have prospectively analyzed the efficacy and tolerability of GC as neoadjuvant treatment of invasive bladder cancer MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this single-institution phase II trial, patients with muscle-invasive transitional cell carcinoma received three cycles of gemcitabine 1200 mg/m² on days 1 and 8 with cisplatin 75 mg/m² on day 1 prior to surgery. Radiologic response was evaluated by computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. All patients were referred to surgery after chemotherapy completion RESULTS: Between June 2002 and March 2005, 22 patients (19 males) were enrolled. Median age was 63 years. Initial stage was II (T2) in 11 and III (T3-4) in 11 patients. Median follow-up is 26 months (4-43). Partial or complete radiologic response rate was documented in 13 out of 20 assessable patients (70 percent). One patient was excluded due to sarcomatoid carcinoma at definitive pathologic examination. Cystectomy was performed in 15 patients and pelvic radiotherapy in four patients. Nine out of 21 patients (43 percent) relapsed and four (19 percent) died due to disease progression. Complete pathologic response was observed in four patients (26.7 percent of 15). Median progression-free survival was 27 months (CI 95 percent not reached) with median overall survival of 36 months (CI 95 percent: 28.7 - 43.3). Grade III/IV toxicity was infrequent, with no deaths due to chemotherapy CONCLUSIONS: The combination of GC is effective and well-tolerated when used as neoadjuvant therapy in muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Longer follow-up is necessary to evaluate its impact on the overall survival of these patients.