Yusuke Okuma1,2, Yukio Hosomi3, Kageaki Watanabe3, Satoshi Takahashi3,4, Tatsuru Okamura3, Tsunekazu Hishima5. 1. Department of Thoracic Oncology and Respiratory Medicine, Tokyo Metropolitan Cancer and Infectious diseases Center Komagome Hospital, 3-18-22 Honkomagome, Bunkyo, Tokyo, 113-8677, Japan. y-okuma@cick.jp. 2. Division of Oncology, Research Center for Medical Sciences, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. y-okuma@cick.jp. 3. Department of Thoracic Oncology and Respiratory Medicine, Tokyo Metropolitan Cancer and Infectious diseases Center Komagome Hospital, 3-18-22 Honkomagome, Bunkyo, Tokyo, 113-8677, Japan. 4. Department of Pulmonary Medicine and Oncology, Graduate School of Medicine, Nippon Medical School, Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. 5. Department of Pathology, Tokyo Metropolitan Cancer and Infectious diseases Center Komagome Hospital, Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The key drugs for chemotherapy of thymic carcinoma are gradually being revealed in phase II and conventional retrospective studies. Gemcitabine is regarded as one of these key drugs according to the findings of clinical trials in which it was combined with capecitabine. However, the activity of single-agent gemcitabine concerning refractory thymic carcinoma remains unclear. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of the medical records of refractory thymic carcinoma patients previously treated with platinum-containing chemotherapy between 1980 and 2014. RESULTS: Of all 11 patients in this study, the objective response rate regarding gemcitabine was 36.4 % [95 % confidence interval (CI) 15.2-64.6] using the RECIST criteria and the response criteria proposed by the ITMIG. The median progression-free survival time was 4.3 months (95 % CI 0.7-11.0). The survival time from the start of gemcitabine treatment was 28.5 months (95 % CI 5.5-47.8), and from the start of first-line chemotherapy was 46.5 months (95 % CI 7.3-47.8). CONCLUSIONS: Gemcitabine achieved a moderate response and has the potential to be used as a key drug for thymic carcinoma. Some patients treated with gemcitabine demonstrated prolonged cancer control even in later lines of chemotherapy.
BACKGROUND: The key drugs for chemotherapy of thymic carcinoma are gradually being revealed in phase II and conventional retrospective studies. Gemcitabine is regarded as one of these key drugs according to the findings of clinical trials in which it was combined with capecitabine. However, the activity of single-agent gemcitabine concerning refractory thymic carcinoma remains unclear. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of the medical records of refractory thymic carcinomapatients previously treated with platinum-containing chemotherapy between 1980 and 2014. RESULTS: Of all 11 patients in this study, the objective response rate regarding gemcitabine was 36.4 % [95 % confidence interval (CI) 15.2-64.6] using the RECIST criteria and the response criteria proposed by the ITMIG. The median progression-free survival time was 4.3 months (95 % CI 0.7-11.0). The survival time from the start of gemcitabine treatment was 28.5 months (95 % CI 5.5-47.8), and from the start of first-line chemotherapy was 46.5 months (95 % CI 7.3-47.8). CONCLUSIONS:Gemcitabine achieved a moderate response and has the potential to be used as a key drug for thymic carcinoma. Some patients treated with gemcitabine demonstrated prolonged cancer control even in later lines of chemotherapy.
Authors: F Hirai; T Yamanaka; K Taguchi; H Daga; A Ono; K Tanaka; Y Kogure; J Shimizu; T Kimura; J Fukuoka; Y Iwamoto; H Sasaki; K Takeda; T Seto; Y Ichinose; K Nakagawa; Y Nakanishi Journal: Ann Oncol Date: 2014-11-17 Impact factor: 32.976
Authors: Girum L Lemma; Ju-Whei Lee; Seena C Aisner; Corey J Langer; William J Tester; David H Johnson; Patrick J Loehrer Journal: J Clin Oncol Date: 2011-04-18 Impact factor: 44.544
Authors: David S Ettinger; Gregory J Riely; Wallace Akerley; Hossein Borghaei; Andrew C Chang; Richard T Cheney; Lucian R Chirieac; Thomas A D'Amico; Todd L Demmy; Ramaswamy Govindan; Frederic W Grannis; Stefan C Grant; Leora Horn; Thierry M Jahan; Ritsuko Komaki; Feng-Ming Spring Kong; Mark G Kris; Lee M Krug; Rudy P Lackner; Inga T Lennes; Billy W Loo; Renato Martins; Gregory A Otterson; Jyoti D Patel; Mary C Pinder-Schenck; Katherine M Pisters; Karen Reckamp; Eric Rohren; Theresa A Shapiro; Scott J Swanson; Kurt Tauer; Douglas E Wood; Stephen C Yang; Kristina Gregory; Miranda Hughes Journal: J Natl Compr Canc Netw Date: 2013-05-01 Impact factor: 11.908