TTCC-2019-02: real-world evidence of first-line cetuximab plus paclitaxel in recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to confirm the efficacy of the ERBITAX scheme (paclitaxel 80 mg/m2 weekly and cetuximab 400 mg/m2 loading dose, and then 250 mg/m2 weekly) as first-line treatment for patients with recurrent/metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) who are medically unfit for cisplatin-based (PT) chemotherapy. Materials and methods: This retrospective, non-interventional study involved 16 centers in Spain. Inclusion criteria were to have started receiving ERBITAX regimen from January 2012 to December 2018; histologically confirmed SCCHN including oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx, and larynx; age ≥18 years; and platinum (PT) chemotherapy ineligibility due to performance status, comorbidities, high accumulated dose of PT, or PT refractoriness. Results: A total of 531 patients from 16 hospitals in Spain were enrolled. The median age was 66 years, 82.7% were male, and 83.5% were current/former smokers. Patients were ineligible to receive PT due to ECOG 2 (50.3%), comorbidities (32%), PT cumulative dose ≥ 225 mg/m2 (10.5%), or PT refractoriness (7.2%). Response rate was 37.7%. Median duration of response was 5.6 months (95% CI: 4.4-6.6). With a median follow-up of 8.7 months (95% CI: 7.7-10.2), median PFS and OS were 4.5 months (95% CI: 3.9-5.0) and 8.9 months (95% CI: 7.8-10.3), respectively. Patients treated with immunotherapy after ERBITAX had better OS with a median of 29.8 months compared to 13.8 months for those who received other treatments. The most common grade ≥ 3 toxicities were acne-like rash in 36 patients (6.8%) and oral mucositis in 8 patients (1.5%). Five (0.9%) patients experienced grade ≥ 3 febrile neutropenia. Conclusion: This study confirms the real-world efficacy and tolerability of ERBITAX as first-line treatment in recurrent/metastatic SCCHN when PT is not feasible. Immunotherapy after treatment with ERBITAX showed remarkable promising survival, despite potential selection bias.

Prognostic factors in undifferentiated uterine sarcoma: a subanalysis of the SARCUT study.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to analyze the prognostic factors related to the recurrence rate and overall survival of patients with undifferentiated uterine sarcoma. METHODS: An international multicenter study involving 43 international centers, the SARCUT study, collected 966 uterine sarcoma cases; among them 39 cases corresponded to undifferentiated uterine sarcoma and where included in the present subanalysis. The risk factors related to the oncological outcomes where analyzed. RESULTS: The median age of the patients was 63 (range 14-85) years. Seventeen (43.5%) patients presented FIGO stage I. The 5-year overall survival (OS) was 15.3% and 12-months disease-free survival (DFS) 41%. FIGO stage I was significantly associated with a better prognosis. In addition, patients who received adjuvant radiotherapy showed significant longer disease-free survival compared to those without adjuvant radiotherapy (20.5 vs. 4.0 months, respectively; p = 0.04) and longer overall survival (34.7 vs. 18.2 months, respectively; p = 0.05). Chemotherapy administration was associated with shorter DFS (HR 4.41, 95% CI 1.35-14.43, p = 0.014). Persistent disease after primary treatment (HR = 6.86, 95% CI 1.51-31.09, p = 0.012) and FIGO stage IV (HR 4.12, 95%CI 1.37-12.44, p = 0.011) showed significant worse prognosis for OS. CONCLUSION: FIGO stage seems to be the most important prognostic factor in patients with undifferentiated uterine sarcoma. Adjuvant radiotherapy seems to be significantly associated also to a better disease-free and overall survival. On the contrary, the role of chemotherapy administration remains unclear since was associated to a shorted DFS.

Uterine sarcomas: clinical practice guidelines for diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up, by Spanish group for research on sarcomas (GEIS).

Uterine sarcomas are very infrequent and heterogeneous entities. Due to its rarity, pathological diagnosis, surgical management, and systemic treatment are challenging. Treatment decision process in these tumors should be taken in a multidisciplinary tumor board. Available evidence is low and, in many cases, based on case series or clinical trials in which these tumors have been included with other soft tissue sarcoma. In these guidelines, we have tried to summarize the most relevant evidence in the diagnosis, staging, pathological disparities, surgical management, systemic treatment, and follow-up of uterine sarcomas.

Multicenter retrospective study to evaluate the impact of trabectedin plus pegylated liposomal doxorubicin on the subsequent treatment in women with recurrent, platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer.

Debulking surgery, followed by taxane/platinum-based chemotherapy has traditionally been the first-line treatment for advanced ovarian cancer. However, most patients will experience recurrence afterwards, and receive subsequent lines of therapy. It has been proposed that extending the treatment-free interval of platinum can improve the response to a subsequent platinum-based chemotherapy, and reduce associated toxicities in women with recurrent, platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer. The aim was to determine the impact, in clinical practice, of trabectedin with pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (trabectedin/PLD) on the subsequent platinum-based therapy in these patients, and to explore the prognosis for breast cancer gene status and the expression of diverse genes. This was a multicenter, retrospective, postauthorization study that involved 79 patients. Germline or somatic mutations of breast cancer gene 1/2 were present in 21.5%. The median time between trabectedin/PLD and the onset of the subsequent treatment was 6.7 months. The overall response rate during the trabectedin/PLD period was 36.7%. In the subsequent first-line platinum-based therapy, the overall response rate was 51.4%. Progression-free survival and overall survival were 11.8 and 25.4 months, respectively, from the onset of trabectedin/PLD treatment. Partially platinum-sensitive (between 6 and 12 months) and platinum-sensitive patients (treatment-free interval of platinum≥12 months) showed no differences in progression-free survival and overall survival. Grade 3 neutropenia and asthenia were reported in 15.2 and 10.1% of patients, respectively. Most frequent adverse events in more than 10% of patients were neutropenia (45.6%), asthenia (43.0%), nausea (25.3%), and anemia (13.9%). The intercalation with a nonplatinum regimen may improve the response to a subsequent platinum-based therapy in women with recurrent, platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer.

Immunocryosurgery as monotherapy for lentigo maligna or combined with surgical excision for lentigo maligna melanoma.

The incidence of lentigo maligna (LM), in situ (LM) or invasive (lentigo maligna melanoma, LMM), has increased during the last decades. Due to functional or cosmetic outcomes, optimal treatment with surgical excision may not be appropriate in some cases. We tried less invasive therapy, immunocryosurgery, as a single treatment for LM or combined with surgery for LMM, with better aesthetic results. Three patients with LM or LMM not amenable to complete surgical excision were selected. LMM patients underwent limited surgical resection of the invasive area. Subsequently, a combined treatment with topical imiquimod and cryosurgery was performed. The LM patient received immunocryosurgery directly. All of them were free of local and systemic disease at 48, 42 and 41 months after discontinuation of therapy. We consider that immunocryosurgery is an alternative option for LM or even for LMM (after removal of the invasive tissue with narrow margins) in poor surgical candidates, with good therapeutic, functional and cosmetic results.

Síndrome de Down en la provincia de Tucumán. Estudio transversal / Down syndrome in the province of Tucumán. Transversal study

INTRODUCCIÓN El Síndrome de Dow (SD) es una anomalía congénita que afecta significativamente la salud y condiciona el desarrollo. No se hallaron estudios epidemiológicos sobre su situación en la provincia. OBJETIVOS Caracterizar epidemiológicamente y conocer la situación actual de niños, adolescentes y jóvenes con SD en la provincia de Tucumán, mayo de 2018-mayo de 2019. METODOLOGÍA Descriptivo de corte transversal. Muestreo por conveniencia. Encuesta, a padres o tutores, incluyó datos epidemiológicos, de salud, educación y sociales. Los datos fueron comparados mediante Chi2 o test exacto de Fisher. Se calcularon medidas de tendencia central y dispersión. Para comparar categorías de variables ordinales Test de Rangos de Wilcoxon. Para ver efecto conjunto de variables y control de confusión se realizó Regresión Logística. Se consideró significativo valor de p<0,05. Se utilizó software estadístico STATA 11.1 SE. RESULTADOS Se estudiaron 162 personas con SD. La mediana de edad fue 11 años (P25-75: 2-20). El 60,5% (98) fueron varones. El 47,5%(77) eran niños, el 24,7% (40) adolescentes y el 27,8% (45) jóvenes. El 89% (49) de los < de 5 años concurrían a centros de estimulación temprana. El 69,2 % (74/107) asistían establecimiento escolar, el 42%, (45) de estos concurría a establecimientos comunes. El 64% (29/45) que concurrían a establecimientos privados estaban integrados a sus compañeros de clase. El 46% (47/102) de los > de 5 años tenía lenguaje comprensible por todos. El 15,6% (8/51) trabajaba actualmente. El 63,6% (103/162) de las madres eran >= a 35 años. En el 79,63% (129) el diagnóstico fue postnatal. El 29% (47/162) de los casos fue por asociación libre. El 27%(44) tenía cardiopatías. El 36% (39/107) expresaron dificultad de aceptación en algunos establecimientos educativos. DISCUSIÓN Este estudio brinda un panorama de la situación de los menores con SD de la provincia que podría ayudar a contribuir a la sensibilización y mayor integración de la sociedad

Endometrial Carcinoma: Specific Targeted Pathways.

Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most common gynecologic malignancy in the western world with more than 280,000 cases per year worldwide. Prognosis for EC at early stages, when primary surgical resection is the most common initial treatment, is excellent. Five-year survival rate is around 70 %.Several molecular alterations have been described in the different types of EC. They occur in genes involved in important signaling pathways. In this chapter, we will review the most relevant altered pathways in EC, including PI3K/AKT/mTOR, RAS-RAF-MEK-ERK, Tyrosine kinase, WNT/ß-Catenin, cell cycle, and TGF-ß signaling pathways. At the end of the chapter, the most significant clinical trials will be briefly discussed.This information is important to identify specific targets for therapy.

[Severe spotted fever by Rickettsia rickettsii, in tourist in the Argentine Northwest]. / Fiebre manchada grave por Rickettsia rickettsii en turista en el noroeste argentino.

On the fifth day after leaving the Parque Nacional El Rey, province of Salta, Argentina, where she made rural tourism, a woman of Italian origin, aged 47, developed an acute fever followed by a petechial and purpuric rash that progressed rapidly to multiorgan failure. She died on the sixth day after hospitalization. There were references to tick bites and a skin lesion similar to tache noire was found. The autopsy showed generalized vasculitis, ascites, pulmonary edema, acute tubular necrosis and portal centrilobular necrosis. Spleen and liver tissue were processed for PCR Rickettsia spp, based on the detection of the gltA gene. The result was positive. The amplicons obtained were sequenced and the results were compared with the preset sequences on the BLAST program, 99% coinciding with R. rickettsii. The low sensitivity of the health system to recognize this disease and the insufficient information generated from tourism-related media are factors that affect the delay to implement effective treatment and appropriate prevention standards.

Fiebre manchada grave por Rickettsia rickettsii en turista en el Noroeste Argentino / Severe spotted fever by Rickettsia rickettsii, in tourist in the Argentine Northwest

Al quinto día de retirarse del Parque Nacional El Rey, provincia de Salta, Argentina, donde realizó turismo rural, una mujer italiana de 47 años desarrolló un cuadro febril agudo seguido de un exantema petequial y purpúrico que progresó rápidamente a falla multiorgánica y falleció al sexto día de internación. Existieron referencias a mordeduras por garrapatas y se constató una lesión cutánea similar a la denominada tache noire. La autopsia mostró una vasculitis generalizada, ascitis, edema de pulmón, necrosis tubular aguda y necrosis portal centrolobulillar. Se procesó tejido esplénico y hepático con técnica de PCR para Rickettsia spp, basada en la detección del gen gltA. El resultado fue positivo. Los amplicones obtenidos fueron secuenciados y los resultados se compararon con las secuencias preestablecidas en el programa BLAST, coincidiendo en un 99% con R. rickettsii. La baja sensibilidad del sistema de salud en reconocer la enfermedad y la insuficiente información producida desde los medios relacionados con el turismo, son factores que inciden en el retardo de implementar un tratamiento eficaz y las normas de prevención adecuadas.

On the fifth day after leaving the Parque Nacional El Rey, province of Salta, Argentina, where she made rural tourism, a woman of Italian origin, aged 47, developed an acute fever followed by a petechial and purpuric rash that progressed rapidly to multiorgan failure. She died on the sixth day after hospitalization. There were references to tick bites and a skin lesion similar to tache noire was found. The autopsy showed generalized vasculitis, ascites, pulmonary edema, acute tubular necrosis and portal centrilobular necrosis. Spleen and liver tissue were processed for PCR Rickettsia spp, based on the detection of the gltA gene. The result was positive. The amplicons obtained were sequenced and the results were compared with the preset sequences on the BLAST program, 99% coinciding with R. rickettsii. The low sensitivity of the health system to recognize this disease and the insufficient information generated from tourism-related media are factors that affect the delay to implement effective treatment and appropriate prevention standards.

Pertuzumab Plus Chemotherapy for Platinum-Resistant Ovarian Cancer: Safety Run-in Results of the PENELOPE Trial.

OBJECTIVE: In platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, adding pertuzumab to gemcitabine improved progression-free survival in the subgroup with low tumor HER3 messenger RNA expression. The 2-part PENELOPE trial (NCT01684878) is prospectively investigating pertuzumab plus chemotherapy in this population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Part 1 evaluated pertuzumab plus either topotecan or paclitaxel. Patients with platinum-refractory or platinum-resistant recurrent ovarian, primary peritoneal, or fallopian tube cancer and low HER3 messenger RNA expression (concentration ratio ≤2.81 by central quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction testing on Cobas z480) received intravenous pertuzumab (840 mg loading dose then 420 mg every 3 weeks) with the investigator's choice of topotecan (1.25 mg/m days 1-5 every 3 weeks) or weekly paclitaxel (80 mg/m) until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. The primary objective was to assess safety and tolerability. RESULTS: Fifty patients were treated in part 1 (22 topotecan; 28 paclitaxel). In both cohorts, disease progression was the most common primary reason for discontinuing pertuzumab, and the most common all-grade adverse events (AEs) were fatigue/asthenia, anemia, and diarrhea. The most common grade ≥3 AEs were anemia (36%), neutropenia (27%), and fatigue/asthenia (18%) for topotecan, and peripheral sensory neuropathy (14%) and anemia (11%) for paclitaxel. Two patients receiving paclitaxel-pertuzumab died from AEs (abdominal infection; unexplained death). Median progression-free survival was 4.1 months (95% confidence interval, 1.9-6.1) with topotecan-pertuzumab and 4.2 months (95% confidence interval, 3.5-6.0) with paclitaxel-pertuzumab. CONCLUSIONS: Based on part 1 tolerability, the Independent Data Monitoring Committee had no objection to PENELOPE proceeding to part 2, a double-blind randomized comparison of chemotherapy (topotecan, paclitaxel, or gemcitabine) plus pertuzumab or placebo.

Molecular profiling of circulating tumor cells links plasticity to the metastatic process in endometrial cancer.

BACKGROUND: About 20% of patients diagnosed with endometrial cancer (EC) are considered high-risk with unfavorable prognosis. In the framework of the European Network for Individualized Treatment in EC (ENITEC), we investigated the presence and phenotypic features of Circulating Tumor Cells (CTC) in high-risk EC patients. METHODS: CTC isolation was carried out in peripheral blood samples from 34 patients, ranging from Grade 3 Stage IB to Stage IV carcinomas and recurrences, and 27 healthy controls using two methodologies. Samples were subjected to EpCAM-based immunoisolation using the CELLection™ Epithelial Enrich kit (Invitrogen, Dynal) followed by RTqPCR analysis. The phenotypic determinants of endometrial CTC in terms of pathogenesis, hormone receptor pathways, stem cell markers and epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) drivers were asked. Kruskal-Wallis analysis followed by Dunn's post-test was used for comparisons between groups. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: EpCAM-based immunoisolation positively detected CTC in high-risk endometrial cancer patients. CTC characterization indicated a remarkable plasticity phenotype defined by the expression of the EMT markers ETV5, NOTCH1, SNAI1, TGFB1, ZEB1 and ZEB2. In addition, the expression of ALDH and CD44 pointed to an association with stemness, while the expression of CTNNB1, STS, GDF15, RELA, RUNX1, BRAF and PIK3CA suggested potential therapeutic targets. We further recapitulated the EMT phenotype found in endometrial CTC through the up-regulation of ETV5 in an EC cell line, and validated in an animal model of systemic dissemination the propensity of these CTC in the accomplishment of metastasis. CONCLUSIONS: Our results associate the presence of CTC with high-risk EC. Gene-expression profiling characterized a CTC-plasticity phenotype with stemness and EMT features. We finally recapitulated this CTC-phenotype by over-expressing ETV5 in the EC cell line Hec1A and demonstrated an advantage in the promotion of metastasis in an in vivo mouse model of CTC dissemination and homing.

First report of myiasis caused by Cochliomyia hominivorax (Diptera: Calliphoridae) in a diabetic foot ulcer patient in Argentina.

Myiasis is usually caused by flies of the Calliphoridae family, and Cochliomyia hominivorax is the etiological agent most frequently found in myiasis. The first case of myiasis in a diabetic foot of a 54-year-old male patient in Argentina is reported. The patient attended the hospital of the capital city of Tucumán Province for a consultation concerning an ulcer in his right foot, where the larval specimens were found. The identification of the immature larvae was based on their morphological characters, such as the cylindrical, segmented, white yellow-coloured body and tracheas with strong pigmentation. The larvae were removed, and the patient was treated with antibiotics. The larvae were reared until the adults were obtained. The adults were identified by the setose basal vein in the upper surface of the wing, denuded lower surface of the wing, short and reduced palps, and parafrontalia with black hairs outside the front row of setae. The main factor that favoured the development of myiasis is due to diabetes, which caused a loss of sensibility in the limb that resulted in late consultation. Moreover, the poor personal hygiene attracted the flies, and the foul-smelling discharge from the wound favoured the female's oviposition. There is a need to implement a program for prevention of myiasis, in which the population is made aware not only of the importance of good personal hygiene and home sanitation but also of the degree of implication of flies in the occurrence and development of this disease.

Plasmodium vivax and Mansonella ozzardi co-infection in north-western Argentina.

A case of co-infection with Plasmodium vivax and Mansonella ozzardi was detected in a blood sample from a person who had shown symptoms of malaria and lived in a city that was close to the Argentina/Bolivia border. The case was detected during a random revision of thick and thin smears from patients diagnosed with malaria from various towns and cities located in north-western Argentina between 1983 and 2001. Trophozoites of P. vivax were observed in the thin blood smear along with M. ozzardi microfilaria (larval form), which presented a long, slender, pointed anucleate tail and the absence of the sheath. This last characteristic is shared with Mansonella perstans, Mansonella streptocerca and Onchocerca volvulus. More rigorously controlled studies to detect other co-infection cases in the area as well as the possibility of importation from Bolivia into Argentina are currently ongoing. The relationship between the malaria parasite and microfilaria, the potential effect of malaria treatment on the development of M. ozzardi, and the possible impact of this microfilaria on the immunity of a person against P. vivax are all still unknown. This contribution constitutes a point of focus for future studies involving the interaction between the parasites and the potential risk that humans are exposed to.

Mutations in BRIP1 confer high risk of ovarian cancer.

Ovarian cancer causes more deaths than any other gynecologic malignancy in developed countries. Sixteen million sequence variants, identified through whole-genome sequencing of 457 Icelanders, were imputed to 41,675 Icelanders genotyped using SNP chips, as well as to their relatives. Sequence variants were tested for association with ovarian cancer (N of affected individuals = 656). We discovered a rare (0.41% allelic frequency) frameshift mutation, c.2040_2041insTT, in the BRIP1 (FANCJ) gene that confers an increase in ovarian cancer risk (odds ratio (OR) = 8.13, P = 2.8 × 10(-14)). The mutation was also associated with increased risk of cancer in general and reduced lifespan by 3.6 years. In a Spanish population, another frameshift mutation in BRIP1, c.1702_1703del, was seen in 2 out of 144 subjects with ovarian cancer and 1 out of 1,780 control subjects (P = 0.016). This allele was also associated with breast cancer (seen in 6/927 cases; P = 0.0079). Ovarian tumors from heterozygous carriers of the Icelandic mutation show loss of the wild-type allele, indicating that BRIP1 behaves like a classical tumor suppressor gene in ovarian cancer.

Ancestry-shift refinement mapping of the C6orf97-ESR1 breast cancer susceptibility locus.

We used an approach that we term ancestry-shift refinement mapping to investigate an association, originally discovered in a GWAS of a Chinese population, between rs2046210[T] and breast cancer susceptibility. The locus is on 6q25.1 in proximity to the C6orf97 and estrogen receptor alpha (ESR1) genes. We identified a panel of SNPs that are correlated with rs2046210 in Chinese, but not necessarily so in other ancestral populations, and genotyped them in breast cancer case:control samples of Asian, European, and African origin, a total of 10,176 cases and 13,286 controls. We found that rs2046210[T] does not confer substantial risk of breast cancer in Europeans and Africans (OR = 1.04, P = 0.099, and OR = 0.98, P = 0.77, respectively). Rather, in those ancestries, an association signal arises from a group of less common SNPs typified by rs9397435. The rs9397435[G] allele was found to confer risk of breast cancer in European (OR = 1.15, P = 1.2 x 10(-3)), African (OR = 1.35, P = 0.014), and Asian (OR = 1.23, P = 2.9 x 10(-4)) population samples. Combined over all ancestries, the OR was 1.19 (P = 3.9 x 10(-7)), was without significant heterogeneity between ancestries (P(het) = 0.36) and the SNP fully accounted for the association signal in each ancestry. Haplotypes bearing rs9397435[G] are well tagged by rs2046210[T] only in Asians. The rs9397435[G] allele showed associations with both estrogen receptor positive and estrogen receptor negative breast cancer. Using early-draft data from the 1,000 Genomes project, we found that the risk allele of a novel SNP (rs77275268), which is closely correlated with rs9397435, disrupts a partially methylated CpG sequence within a known CTCF binding site. These studies demonstrate that shifting the analysis among ancestral populations can provide valuable resolution in association mapping.

Targeted therapies in gynecologic cancers and melanoma.

The article reviews the main molecular pathology alterations of endometrial and ovarian carcinomas and melanoma. Several promising drugs targeting the genes most frequently altered in these tumors are under consideration. The most promising signaling pathways to be targeted for therapies in these tumors are the tyrosine kinase receptor (EGFR, HER2, c-KIT), the RAS/B-RAF/MAPK, the PI3K-mTOR, and apoptosis signaling pathways.

Prognostic significance and diagnostic value of protein S-100 and tyrosinase in patients with malignant melanoma.

OBJECTIVES: The utility of many molecules as tumor markers in melanoma has been investigated with different results. The aims of this study was to compare the value of tyrosinase mRNA by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in peripheral blood and of serum S-100 protein in patients with melanoma at different stages of disease. METHODS: We have studied 90 peripheral blood samples corresponding to 90 patients that had been diagnosed with melanoma. The clinical staging at the time of blood sampling was performed according to the American Join Committee on Cancer guidelines. S-100 protein in serum was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (normal range: 0-0.150 microg) and the presence of tyrosinase mRNA was assessed by RT-PCR. RESULTS: Median progression-free survival was 281 days for tyrosinase positive patients and it has not been reached for tyrosinase negative patients (P = 0.03). Median progression free survival was 213 days for patients with elevated serum S-100 and it has not been reached for patients with normal level of serum S-100 (P < 0.001). Median overall survival (OS) was 396 days for tyrosinase positive patients and it has not been reached for negative patients (P = 0.0096). Median OS was 282 days for patients with elevated serum S-100 and it has not been reached for patients with normal level of serum S-100 (P < 0.001). In a multivariate analysis, both markers have significant prognostic value for time to progression and for survival (chi(2) test). CONCLUSIONS: RT-PCR for tyrosinase mRNA and S-100 are significant prognostic factors for progression-free survival and OS in melanoma. S-100 has higher sensitivity and specificity than tyrosinase.

Gemcitabine/capecitabine in patients with metastatic breast cancer pretreated with anthracyclines and taxanes.

PURPOSE: Gemcitabine and capecitabine are 2 anticancer drugs with a mechanism of action involving metabolism of pyrimidine nucleotides. Both are among the few agents active in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) progressing after therapy with anthracyclines and taxanes. We have conducted a phase II trial of gemcitabine/capecitabine in patients with disease progression after treatment with anthracyclines and taxanes. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Treatment included gemcitabine 2000 mg/m2 on day 1 every 3 weeks and capecitabine 2500 mg/m2 daily (divided into 2 doses) on days 1-14 every 3 weeks; treatment was administered until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity was documented. All patients received concomitant oral pyridoxine 300 mg twice daily to prevent hand-foot syndrome (HFS). Of 39 patients treated, 33 had received previous treatment with anthracyclines, 6 had medical contraindication to anthracyclines, 35 had previously received taxanes, and 23 had received vinorelbine. Fourteen patients had previous high-dose chemotherapy with stem cell rescue and 5 had previously received trastuzumab. Patients were 31-79 years of age (median, 55 years) and, altogether, were given 386 courses of therapy (range, 1-36 courses per patient; median, 6 courses). RESULTS: Grade 3/4 toxicities included HFS (11 courses, 6 patients), stomatitis (6 courses, 2 patients), diarrhea (5 courses, 4 patients), anemia (5 courses, 2 patients), thrombocytopenia (5 courses, 2 patients), and neutropenia (1 course, 1 patient). Response rate (all 39 patients were evaluable) was 48.7% (partial response, n = 19; stable disease, n = 7; progressive disease, n = 13). Thirty-six patients died because of disease progression, and 3 are alive with progressive disease. Median follow-up was 26 months or until death. Median duration of response was 15 months (range, 3-26 months). Median time to disease progression was 5 months (range, 1-26 months). Median overall survival duration was 10 months (range, 1-37 months). CONCLUSION: In this cohort of patients heavily pretreated with anthracyclines and taxanes, the response rate to gemcitabine/capecitabine is encouraging, although response duration is limited.