[Clinical problems in gemcitabine treatment for unresectable pancreatic cancer in the elderly--a multicentric retrospective study of 53 cases]

Gan To Kagaku Ryoho. 2004 Nov;31(12):1987-91.
[Article in Japanese]

Abstract

In Gemcitabine treatment, elderly patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer are more likely to suffer from haematological and non-haematological adverse effects than non-elderly patients. Forty percent of the elderly patients were dropped from the initial protocol due to the adverse effects, mainly because of non-haematological events or symptoms. To avoid adverse effects, the administration schedule for Gemcitabine tended to be less often and at a lower dose for elderly patients among members of the Nagano Pancreatic Cancer Study Group. However, the fact that some cases showed a limited effect from this administration schedule albeit without adverse effect, might suggest that the frequency of ordinary administration schedule should be maintained, although the Gemcitabine dose could be decreased in unresectable pancreatic cancer patients in poor condition.

Publication types

  • English Abstract
  • Multicenter Study

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / administration & dosage
  • Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / adverse effects
  • Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / therapeutic use*
  • Deoxycytidine / administration & dosage
  • Deoxycytidine / adverse effects
  • Deoxycytidine / analogs & derivatives*
  • Deoxycytidine / therapeutic use*
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Drug Administration Schedule
  • Female
  • Gemcitabine
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Surveys and Questionnaires

Substances

  • Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic
  • Deoxycytidine
  • Gemcitabine