Gemcitabine and cisplatin for advanced urothelial carcinomas: the Ehime University Hospital experience

Background The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a combined chemotherapy regimen, gemcitabine and cisplatin (GC), in the treatment of advanced urothelial carcinomas. Methods Fifty-five patients with advanced urothelial cancer were treated with GC (gemcitabine 1000 mg/m² on days 1, 8, and 15; cisplatin 70 mg/m² on day 2) every 28 days. The median follow-up was 30 months (range, 3 to 57 months). Results With the GC therapy, 35 of the 55 patients (63.6%) showed an objective response, with 7 (12.7%) achieving a clinical complete response (CR) and 28 (50.9%), a partial response (PR). GC therapy had a better impact on metastases in the lung and lymph nodes than on metastases in the liver and bone. Lung and lymph nodes showed objective responses of 64.7% and 65.8%, respectively. Eight of the 20 patients (40.0%) who had previously been treated with other regimens showed an objective response, with 1 achieving a CR and 7 achieving a PR. In the 47 patients with metastasis, the median time to progression was 7.0 months (range, 2 to 49 months), and the median overall survival was 12.0 months (range, 3 to 49 months). The 2-year survival rate was 80.0% in the CR group, while it was 55.1% in the PR group and 10.0% in the progressive disease (PD) group. The toxicities associated with GC, particularly mucositis, anorexia, and alopecia, were quite mild. Grade 3–4 toxicity was primarily hematological, including anemia (27.3%), neutropenia (32.7%), and thrombocytopenia (43.6%). Conclusion GC is considered to be a highly effective and well-tolerated regimen for the treatment of advanced urothelial carcinomas, with moderate toxicity.