Low-Dose Gemcitabine Beneficial Treatment for Platinum-Resistant Ovarian Cancer

Using reduced-dose gemcitabine to treat platinum-resistant ovarian cancer (PROC) is a beneficial for patients with the disease, according to a single-center retrospective observational study presented at the Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association’s Annual Conference 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona.

According to the study, 80% of women with advanced ovarian cancer will relapse either during or after adjuvant treatment. Generally, those patients who relapse within 6 months of platinum-based chemotherapy are categorized as having a platinum-resistant form of the disease. The study aimed to evaluate and describe the overall response rate with reduced dose gemcitabine—a standard of care treatment option for PROC. Further, researchers examined “progression-free survival, clinical benefit, and rate of hematologic toxicities” among patients.

The study participants (n =24) had a diagnosis of epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal carcinoma, were considered platinum-resistant, and had not received gemcitabine prior to treatment. The participants received an 800 – 1000 mg/m2 dose of gemcitabine on days 1 and 15 of the 28-day cycle for at least one cycle.

Overall, the response rate from patients after receiving treatment with gemcitabine was 4.2% and the clinical benefit rate was 25%. Additionally, the researchers found that the progression-free survival was 3.3 months. The most common adverse events among patients were anemia and fatigue.

“Reduced-dose gemcitabine is generally well tolerated and offers benefits for patients with PROC who have received multiple-lines of therapy,” the researchers concluded.

Reference:

Goldsby J. Reduced-dose gemcitabine in recurrent, platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. Presented at: Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association’s Annual Conference 2023; March 29 – April 1, 2023; Phoenix AZ. Accessed April 4, 2023. https://www.hoparx.org/membership/hopa-annual-conference-2023/