| Abstract: | Gemcitabine hydrochloride (GEM) is a first-line therapeutic agent for advanced pancreatic cancer, but there is no established second-line treatment after GEM failure. We assessed the clinical benefit of systemic combined chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil and cisplatin (FP therapy) in 19 patients compared with GEM in 32 patients, respectively. Tumor response rates were 10.5% and 15.6% for FP therapy and GEM, respectively. The median survival time in the FP therapy and GEM was 137 days and 241 days, respectively. Although clinical benefit was similar in both types of therapy, median survival time was more favorable for GEM, especially for Stage IVb. Nausea and vomiting were the most commonly observed toxicity in the FP therapy group. Our data indicate that FP therapy is not considered to be a useful second-line agent in patients with GEM pretreated pancreatic cancer. |
