吉西他滨联合奥沙利铂治疗进展期胰腺癌（附40例）

目的：观察吉西他滨（择菲GEM）联合奥沙利铂（艾恒OXA）组成的GEMOX方案治疗进展期胰腺癌的有效性和安全性。方法：进展期胰腺癌40例,应用GEM800mg／m2静滴半小时,d1,d3;OXA60mg／m2静滴2小时,d2,d9;21天重复。至少接受2个周期的化疗,按照WHO标准进行评价。结果：观察化疗后肿瘤原发病灶的变化情况及化疗的不良反应。临床有效率为17．5％,具有较好的耐受性,不良反应主要有骨髓抑制和消化系统反应。结论：健择联合艾恒治疗进展期胰腺癌疗效较好,不良反应可以耐受。     

吉西他滨联合奥沙利铂治疗进展期胰腺癌(附40例)

目的:观察吉西他滨(择菲GEM)联合奥沙利铂(艾恒OXA)组成的GEMOX方案治疗进展期胰腺癌的有效性和安全性。方法:进展期胰腺癌40例,应用GEM800mg/m2静滴半小时,d1,d8;OXA60mg/m2静滴2小时,d2,d9;21天重复。至少接受2个周期的化疗,按照WHO标准进行评价。结果:观察化疗后肿瘤原发病灶的变化情况及化疗的不良反应。临床有效率为17.5%,具有较好的耐受性,不良反应主要有骨髓抑制和消化系统反应。结论:健择联合艾恒治疗进展期胰腺癌疗效较好,不良反应可以耐受。     

Gemcitabine chemoresistance and molecular markers associated with gemcitabine transport and metabolism in human pancreatic cancer cells

To identify predictive molecular markers for gemcitabine resistance, we investigated changes in the expression of four genes associated with gemcitabine transport and metabolism during the development of acquired gemcitabine resistance of pancreatic cancer cell lines. The expression levels of human equilibrative nucleoside transporter-1 (hENT1), deoxycytidine kinase (dCK), RRM1, and RRM2 mRNA were analysed by real-time light cycler-PCR in various subclones during the development of acquired resistance to gemcitabine. Real-time light cycler-PCR demonstrated that the expression levels of either RRM1 or RRM2 progressively increased during the development of gemcitabine resistance. Expression of dCK was slightly increased in cells resistant to lower concentrations of gemcitabine, but was decreased below the undetectable level in higher concentration-resistant subclones. Expression of hENT1 was increased in the development of gemcitabine resistance. As acquired resistance to gemcitabine seems to correlate with the balance of these four factors, we calculated the ratio of hENT1 x dCK/RRM1 x RRM2 gene expression in gemcitabine-resistant subclones. The ratio of gene expression decreased progressively with development of acquired resistance in gemcitabine-resistant subclones. Furthermore, the expression ratio significantly correlated with gemcitabine sensitivity in eight pancreatic cancer cell lines, whereas no single gene expression level correlated with the sensitivity. These results suggest that the sensitivity of pancreatic cancer cells to gemcitabine is determined by the ratio of four factors involved in gemcitabine transport and metabolism. The ratio of the four gene expression levels correlates with acquired gemcitabine-resistance in pancreatic cancer cells, and may be useful as a predictive marker for the efficacy of gemcitabine therapy in pancreatic cancer patients.     

Gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel for pancreatic cancer and interstitial lung disease: A nationwide longitudinal study

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is an adverse event associated with gemcitabine administration. Gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel, which is now a first-line chemotherapy regimen for pancreatic cancer (PC), may increase the risk of ILD; however, large-scale clinical data on this are limited. Thus, this study aimed to elucidate the incidence and risk factors of ILD in patients with PC receiving gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel. Through the Diagnosis Procedure Combination database, a Japanese nationwide inpatient database with outpatient data, we identified consecutive patients with PC who received gemcitabine-based chemotherapy between July 2010 and March 2019 at 205 hospitals. Competing-risk analysis was used to examine the cumulative incidence and risk factors of ILD. Among the 6163 patients who received gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel, we documented 168 patients (2.7%) who developed ILD with cumulative incidence rates (95% confidence intervals [CIs]) of 2.0% (1.6%–2.4%), 2.7% (2.2%–3.1%), and 3.1% (2.6%–3.6%) at 3, 6, and 12 months, respectively. Compared with patients with PC who received gemcitabine monotherapy, those who received gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel had an adjusted subdistribution hazard ratio (SHR) for ILD of 1.93 (95% CI: 1.51–2.47). Older age was associated with a high risk of ILD in patients receiving gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel (adjusted SHR comparing ≥75 to ≤74 years, 1.61; 95% CI: 1.16–2.24). In conclusion, this study demonstrated the clinical course of gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel-associated ILD in patients with PC. When gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel is administered to elderly patients with PC, symptoms associated with ILD must be monitored.     

Gemcitabine and cisplatin in the treatment of advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer

Background:This phase II study was initiated to determine theefficacy and safety of gemcitabine plus cisplatin in patients with pancreaticcancer. Patients and methods:Gemcitabine 1000 mg/m² was givenon days 1, 8, and 15 of a 28-day schedule, and cisplatin 50 mg/m²on days 1 and 15 to chemonaive patients with locally advanced or metastaticpancreatic cancer. Results:Of the 41 patients enrolled (median age 57, and61% male), median Karnofsky performance status was 80%. Patientsreceived a median of 4.2 cycles (range 1–11). In 35 evaluable patients,one complete response (CR) and three partial responses (PR) were observed, foran overall response rate of 11% (95% confidence interval(95% CI): 3.2%–26.7%). Stable disease (SD) >3months occurred in 20 (57%) patients; 6 survived 1 year. Mediantime to progressive disease was 4.3 months (95% CI: 3.0–5.7months). For all patients, median survival was 8.2 months (95% CI:6.1–10.6 months) with a one-year survival rate of 27%. Therapywas well tolerated. Grade 3–4 neutropenia (no grade 3–4infection), thrombocytopenia (no bleeding), nausea/vomiting, and alopecia werereported in 29%, 13%, and 2.6% of patients, respectively. Conclusions:The combination of gemcitabine and cisplatin is amoderately active treatment for patients with locally advanced and metastaticpancreatic cancer without compromising tolerability.     

Gemcitabine and cisplatin combined with regional hyperthermia as second-line treatment in patients with gemcitabine-refractory advanced pancreatic cancer

Purpose: There is no standard second-line therapy for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer (APC) after gemcitabine (G) failure. Cisplatin (Cis)-based chemotherapy has shown activity in APC. It is proven that cytotoxicity of G and Cis is enhanced by heat exposure at 40° to 42°C. Therefore G plus Cis with regional hyperthermia (RHT) might be beneficial for patients with G-refractory APC.

Patients and methods: We retrospectively analysed 23 patients with advanced (n?=?2) or metastatic (n?=?21) pancreatic cancer with relapse after G mono first-line chemotherapy (n?=?23). Patients had received G (day 1, 1000?mg/m²) and Cis (day 2 and 4, 25?mg/m²) in combination with RHT (day 2 and 4, 1?h) biweekly for 4 months. We analysed feasibility, toxicity, time to second progression (TTP2), overall survival (OS) and clinical response.

Results: Between October 1999 and August 2008 23 patients were treated. Haematological toxicity was low with no grade 4 event. Hyperthermia-associated toxicity consisted of discomfort because of bolus pressure (3%), power-related pain (7%) or position-related pain (17%). Median TTP1 was 5.9 months (95% confidence interval (CI): 2.6–9.2), median TTP2 was 4.3 months (95%CI: 1.2–7.4) and OS 12.9 months (95%CI: 9.9–15.9). The disease control rate in 16 patients with available CT scans was 50%.

Conclusion: We show first clinical data of G plus Cis with RHT being clinically active in G-pretreated APC with low toxicity. A prospective controlled phase II second-line clinical trial (EudraCT: 2005-003855-11) and a randomised phase III adjuvant clinical trial offering this treatment (HEAT; EudraCT: 2008-004802-14) are currently open for recruitment.     

Gemcitabine diphosphate choline is a major metabolite linked to the Kennedy pathway in pancreatic cancer models in vivo

Background:

The modest benefits of gemcitabine (dFdC) therapy in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) are well documented, with drug delivery and metabolic lability cited as important contributing factors. We have used a mouse model of PDAC: KRAS^G12D; p53^R172H; pdx-Cre (KPC) that recapitulates the human disease to study dFdC intra-tumoural metabolism.

Methods:

LC-MS/MS and NMR were used to measure drug and physiological analytes. Cytotoxicity was assessed by the Sulphorhodamine B assay.

Results:

In KPC tumour tissue, we identified a new, Kennedy pathway-linked dFdC metabolite (gemcitabine diphosphate choline (GdPC)) present at equimolar amounts to its precursor, the accepted active metabolite gemcitabine triphosphate (dFdCTP). Utilising additional subcutaneous PDAC tumour models, we demonstrated an inverse correlation between GdPC/dFdCTP ratios and cytidine triphosphate (CTP). In tumour homogenates in vitro, CTP inhibited GdPC formation from dFdCTP, indicating competition between CTP and dFdCTP for CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase (CCT). As the structure of GdPC precludes entry into cells, potential cytotoxicity was assessed by stimulating CCT activity using linoleate in KPC cells in vitro, leading to increased GdPC concentration and synergistic growth inhibition after dFdC addition.

Conclusions:

GdPC is an important element of the intra-tumoural dFdC metabolic pathway in vivo.     

Systemic therapy for advanced pancreatic cancer

Death from pancreatic cancer remains high with few long-term survivors. Systemic chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil-based combinations had minimal impact on natural history of this disease. Several new agents with activity against pancreatic cancer have been identified over the past decade. Gemcitabine has modest activity in this disease. Combination chemotherapy trials incorporating gemcitabine, cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil, oxaliplatin, docetaxel or irinotecan show improved outcomes in objective response rates and survival that need to be confirmed in prospectively randomized studies. Advancement in the understanding of the biology of pancreatic cancer has helped identify several molecular targets for the development of novel therapies. Ongoing and future treatment regimens for pancreatic cancer will incorporate traditional cytotoxic drugs and novel targeted therapies.     

Gemcitabine with or without continuous infusion 5-FU in advanced pancreatic cancer: a randomised phase II trial of the Italian oncology group for clinical research (GOIRC)

This study was performed to determine the activity of adding continuous infusion (CI) of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) to gemcitabine (GEM) vs GEM alone in advanced pancreatic cancer (APC). In all, 94 chemo-naïve patients with APC were randomised to receive GEM alone (arm A: 1000 mg m⁻² per week for 7 weeks followed by a 2 week rest period, then weekly for 3 consecutive weeks out of every 4 weeks) or in combination with CI 5-FU (arm B: CI 5-FU 200 mg m⁻² day⁻¹ for 6 weeks followed by a 2 week rest period, then for 3 weeks every 4 weeks). Overall response rate (RR) was the primary end point and criteria for decision were planned according to the Simon''s optimal two-stage design. The overall RR was 8% (arm A) and 11% (arm B) (95% confidence interval: 0.5–16% and 2–22%), respectively, and stable disease was 29 and 28%. The median duration of RR was 34 weeks (range 25–101 weeks) for GEM and 26 weeks (range 16–46 weeks) for the combination. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 14 weeks (range 2–65 weeks) and 18 weeks (range 4–51 weeks), respectively. The median overall survival (OS) was 31 weeks (range 1–101 weeks) and 30 weeks (1–101 weeks). Toxicity was mild in both arms. This study does not show promising activity in terms of RR, PFS and OS for the double combination arm in APC.     

Gemcitabine and oxaliplatin for patients with advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer: a North Central Cancer Treatment Group (NCCTG) phase I study.

BACKGROUND: The study was performed to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of gemcitabine and oxaliplatin in patients with advanced or metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma (ACA). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Pancreatic ACA patients, with previously untreated advanced or metastatic disease, were enrolled in a dose escalation study of gemcitabine and oxaliplatin. Oxaliplatin was given intravenously on day 1 and gemcitabine intravenously on days 1 and 8 of a 3-week cycle. Doses of both drugs were increased with sequential cohorts of patients until dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) was observed. RESULTS: A total of 18 patients were enrolled to three dose levels. DLT of neutropenia and a severe infection was noted at a dose of gemcitabine 1250 mg/m2 and oxaliplatin 130 mg/m2. Hematological toxicity and nausea and vomiting were the most common grade 3/4 toxicities. The MTD, gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2 and oxaliplatin 100 mg/m2, was well tolerated. Three confirmed responses were seen. CONCLUSIONS: The MTD of gemcitabine and oxaliplatin in patients with pancreatic ACA was determined. A phase II study of this combination is ongoing and will be reported separately at a later date.     

吉西他滨治疗14例晚期胰腺癌

目的：研究吉西他滨（gemcitabine)治疗晚期胰腺癌的疗效。方法：14例进行展期胰腺癌患者,用吉西他滨第1周800mg/m^2,第2周1000mg/m^2,第3周1200mg/m^2,每周1次,每次以0．9％生理盐水100ml溶解后静脉滴注,30分钟滴完,连续3周,随后休息1周为一疗程。以后每4周重复一次,共6个疗程。结果：疼痛缓解有效率为64％（9／14）,处长了中位生存期,平均为8．7个月。临床受益反应为43％。吉西他滨治疗晚期胰腺癌能显著改善晚期胰腺癌患者的临床症状,减轻疼痛。生活质量有明显提高。结论：吉西他滨可作为晚期胰腺癌综合治疗时首选的化疗药物。     

Cyclopentenyl cytosine increases gemcitabine radiosensitisation in human pancreatic cancer cells

The deoxycytidine analogue 2',2'-difluoro-2'-deoxycytidine (dFdC, gemcitabine) is a potent radiosensitiser, but has limited efficacy in combination with radiotherapy in patients with pancreatic cancer due to acute toxicity. We investigated whether cyclopentenyl cytosine (CPEC), targetting the 'de novo' biosynthesis of cytidine triphosphate (CTP), could increase dFdC cytotoxicity alone or in combination with irradiation in a panel of human pancreatic cancer cells (Panc-1, Miapaca-2, BxPC-3). To investigate the role of deoxycytidine kinase (dCK), the rate-limiting enzyme in the activation of dFdC, human lung cancer cells without (dFdC-resistant SWg) and with an intact dCK gene (dFdC-sensitive SWp) were included. We found that CPEC (100-1000 nmol l(-1)) specifically reduced CTP levels in a dose-dependent manner that lasted up to 72 h in all cell lines. Preincubation with CPEC resulted in a dose-dependent increase in dFdC incorporated into the DNA only in dFdC-sensitive cells. Consequently, CPEC increased the effectiveness of dFdC (300 nmol l(-1) for 4 h) only in dFdC-sensitive cells, which was accompanied by an increase in apoptosis. We also found that CPEC enhanced the radiosensitivity of cells treated with dFdC (30-300 nmol l(-1) for 4 h). These results indicate that CPEC enhances the cytotoxicity of dFdC alone and in combination with irradiation in several human tumour cell lines with an intact dCK gene.     

Gemcitabine and oxaliplatin for metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma: a North Central Cancer Treatment Group phase II study.

BACKGROUND: This study was performed to determine the efficacy of gemcitabine and oxaliplatin in patients with advanced or metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma (ACA). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Pancreatic ACA patients with previously untreated advanced or metastatic disease were enrolled in a phase II study of gemcitabine and oxaliplatin. Oxaliplatin was given i.v. on day 1 and gemcitabine i.v. on days 1 and 8 of a 3-week cycle. The primary end point of the trial was 6-month survival. Secondary end points included response rate, overall survival, median time to progression and toxicity. RESULTS: A total of 47 patients were enrolled, 46 of whom were evaluable. Of those patients assessed for the primary end point 50% lived for > or =6 months. The median time to progression was 4.53 months. Five confirmed responses were seen with a median duration of response of 2.7 months. Overall, the treatment was well tolerated. However, one patient died as a result of treatment-related hemolytic uremic syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: Gemcitabine and oxaliplatin, at doses of 1000 mg/m(2) and 100 mg/m(2), respectively, showed moderate activity in patients with pancreatic ACA. Based on the results of this study further evaluation of this combination is warranted.     

Induction Gemcitabine Plus Concurrent Gemcitabine and Radiotherapy for Locally Advanced Unresectable or Resected Pancreatic Cancer

AimsTo determine the efficacy of induction gemcitabine followed by biweekly gemcitabine concurrent with radiotherapy for locally advanced pancreatic cancer.Materials and methodsBetween March 2001 and August 2009, 90 patients with unresectable (78) or resected (12) pancreatic cancer were treated with a standard treatment policy of induction gemcitabine (seven doses of weekly gemcitabine at 1000 mg/m²) followed by concurrent radiotherapy (52.5 Gy) and biweekly gemcitabine (40 mg/m²).ResultsAfter induction gemcitabine, 17.8% of patients did not proceed to chemoradiotherapy, due to either disease progression, performance status deterioration or gemcitabine toxicity. Of the patients who received chemoradiotherapy, 68.9% completed the course of 52.5 Gy, whereas 79.7% received more than 45 Gy. Chemoradiotherapy was stopped early due to treatment toxicity in 22.9% of patients. On intention to treat analysis, the median overall survival was 12.7 months in the locally advanced group and 18.2 months in the resected group. On multivariate analysis for the unresectable patients, a larger gross tumour volume was a significant poor prognostic factor for overall survival and local progression-free survival.ConclusionThis large series confirms, in a standard practice setting, similar efficacy and tolerability of treatment as previously reported in our phase I–II study. The benefit to patients with a gross tumour volume >48 cm³ may be limited.     

Gemcitabine combined with continuous infusion 5-fluorouracil in advanced and symptomatic pancreatic cancer: a clinical benefit-oriented phase II study

Gemcitabine and 5-fluorouracil are the only two compounds with reproducible activity against advanced pancreatic cancer (APC). We have evaluated a novel combination of gemcitabine and 5-fluorouracil on the clinical benefit response (CBR) end point. Eleven consecutive patients with symptomatic APC were entered in a two-stage phase II trial. Gemcitabine was administered by intravenous (i.v.) bolus injection at the dose of 1,000 mg m(-2) on days 1, 8, 15 and 5-fluorouracil 500 mg m(-2) was given by continuous i.v. infusion on days 1-5. Treatment was repeated every 28 days. A CBR was achieved in 7/11 patients. The mean time to loss of CBR was 26.5 weeks (range 14-18, median 22). Toxicity was mild and no APC patient experienced WHO grade 3 toxicity. The gemcitabine/5-fluorouracil combination is well tolerated and produces a symptomatic relief in the majority of APC patients.     

Gemcitabine metabolic and transporter gene polymorphisms are associated with drug toxicity and efficacy in patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer

BACKGROUND:

It has not been well established whether genetic variations can be biomarkers for clinical outcome of gemcitabine therapy. The purpose of this study was to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of gemcitabine metabolic and transporter genes that are associated with toxicity and efficacy of gemcitabine‐based therapy in patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer.

METHODS:

The authors evaluated 17 SNPs of the CDA,dCK, DCTD, RRM1, hCNT1‐3, and hENT1 genes in 149 patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer who underwent gemcitabine‐based chemoradiotherapy. The association of genotypes with neutropenia, tumor response to therapy, overall survival, and progression‐free survival (PFS) was analyzed by logistic regression, log‐rank test, Kaplan‐Meier plot, and Cox proportional hazards regression.

RESULTS:

The CDA A‐76C, dCK C‐1205T, RRM1 A33G, and hENT1 C913T genotypes were significantly associated with grade 3 to 4 neutropenia (P = .020, .015, .003, and .017, respectively).The CDA A‐76C and hENT1 A‐201G genotypes were significantly associated with tumor response to therapy (P = .017 and P = .019). A combined genotype effect of CDA A‐76C, RRM1 A33G, RRM1 C‐27A, and hENT1 A‐201G on PFS was observed. Patients carrying 0 to 1 (n = 64), 2 (n = 50), or 3 to 4 (n = 17) at‐risk genotypes had median PFS times of 8.3, 6.0, and 4.2 months, respectively (P = .002).

CONCLUSIONS:

The results indicated that some polymorphic variations of drug metabolic and transporter genes may be potential biomarkers for clinical outcome of gemcitabine‐based therapy in patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer. Cancer 2010. © 2010 American Cancer Society.     

Gemcitabine and oxaliplatin (GEMOX) in gemcitabine refractory advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma: a phase II study

Gemcitabine and oxaliplatin (GEMOX) are active as first-line therapy against advanced pancreatic cancer. This study aims to evaluate the activity and tolerability of this combination in patients refractory to standard gemcitabine (GEM). A total of 33 patients (median age of 57) were included with locally advanced and metastatic evaluable diseases, who had progressed during or following GEM therapy. The GEMOX regimen consisted of 1000 mg m(-2) of GEM at a 100-min infusion on day 1, followed on day 2 by 100 mg m(-2) of oxaliplatin at a 2-h infusion; a cycle that was given every 2 weeks. All patients received at least one cycle of GEMOX (median 5; range 1-29). Response by 31 evaluable patients was as follows: PR: 7/31(22.6%), s.d. > or = 8 weeks: 11/31(35.5%), s.d. < 8 weeks: 1/31(3.2%), PD: 12/31(38.7%). Median duration of response and TTP were 4.5 and 4.2 months, respectively. Median survival was 6 months (range 0.5-21). Clinical benefit response was observed in 17/31 patients (54.8%). Grade III/IV non-neurologic toxicities occurred in 12/33 patients (36.3%), and grade I, II, and III neuropathy in 17(51%), 3(9%), and 4(12%) patients, respectively. GEMOX is a well-tolerated, active regimen that may provide a benefit to patients with advanced pancreatic cancer after progression following standard gemcitabine treatment.     

Survivin参与胰腺癌PaTu8988细胞对吉西他滨的耐药

目的:探讨凋亡抑制蛋白survivin在胰腺癌细胞株PaTu8988中的表达,及其与吉西他滨(gemcitabine,GEM)耐药的关系。方法:MTT法检测GEM(0.01、0.1、1.0、2.5、5.0、10.0μg/ml)对PaTu8988细胞生长的抑制作用,流式细胞术检测GEM作用后PaTu8988细胞的凋亡率,RT-PCR检测survivin mRNA在PaTu8988细胞中的表达。结果:高质量浓度GEM(≥1.0μg/ml)可显著抑制PaTu8988细胞的增殖、促进PaTu8988细胞的凋亡;而低质量浓度GEM(0.01、0.1μg/ml)作用不明显。低质量浓度GEM时间依赖性地上调PaTu8988细胞中survivin mRNA的表达;而质量高浓度GEM作用PaTu8988细胞后,sur-vivin mRNA的表达48 h时逐渐下降,而后逐渐上升。结论:胰腺癌PaTu8988细胞中survivin mRNA高表达,可能是其对GEM产生耐药的原因之一。     

Gemcitabine in metastatic breast cancer

Gemcitabine is a pyrimidine antimetabolite which has shown activity in metastatic breast cancer both as a single agent, but also in various combination regimens. It is characterized by a unique mechanism of action which includes cytotoxic self-potentiation, masked DNA chain termination and potent inhibition of DNA repair. The clinical application of gemcitabine is supported by a favorable toxicity profile. In metastatic breast cancer, several Phase II trials document the activity of gemcitabine in pretreated and unpretreated patients. In a single Phase III trial performed in elderly patients not pretreated, gemcitabine was inferior to epirubicin. High activity has, however, been obtained by the combination of gemcitabine with taxanes such as paclitaxel or docetaxel. In a randomized trial performed in anthracycline-pretreated patients, the combined use of gemcitabine and paclitaxel induced a significant improvement not only of response rate and time to disease progression, but also caused a significant increase in quality of life and survival when compared with paclitaxel alone. The combination of gemcitabine with vinorelbine and cisplatin has been validated in numerous Phase II trials and promises reliable activity in anthracycline- and/or taxane-pretreated patients. Triple-agent regimens such as gemcitabine/epirubicin/paclitaxel provided consistently high response rates in Phase II trials, but failed to show superiority over the 5-fluorouracil/epirubicin/cyclophosphamide regimen in a randomized Phase III trial. Based on high response rates and pathological complete remission rates achieved by preoperative induction therapy with gemcitabine/epirubicin/taxane regimens, ongoing trials focus on the incorporation of gemcitabine into neoadjuvant and adjuvant regimens.