Comparison of pharmacokinetics,efficacy and toxicity profile of gemcitabine using two different administration regimens in Chinese patients with non-small-cell lung cancer

Objective To conduct a randomized comparative trial of pharmacokinetics, efficacy and toxicity profile treatment with 1200 mg/m² gemcitabine using standard 30-min infusion or fixed dose rate (FDR) infusion [10 mg/(m²·min)] on days 1 and 8 plus carboplatin AUC (area under curve) 5 on day 1 in Chinese non-small-cell cancer patients. Twelve patients were enrolled in this study. Methods Plasma gemcitabine concentrations were measured by ion-pair reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography. Antitumoral activity and toxicity of gemcitabine was assessed according to World Health Organization criteria. Results The obtained mean parameters, such as T _1/2 (elimination half time), AUC, and CL (clearance), were consistent with those reported in literature. Qualified response rate in our study was 33.3% for standard arm and 50% for FDR arm. Additional 50% and 33.3% patients contracted stable disease (SD) in standard arm and FDR arm, respectively. The predominant toxicity was hematologic, and patients in the standard infusion arm experienced consistently more hematologic toxicity. Conclusion Pharmacokinetic and clinical data in this trial support the continued evaluation of the FDR infusion strategy with gemcitabine. Project (No. 2004A028) supported by the Medical Science Research Foundation of Zhejiang Province, China