Biweekly gemcitabine and low-dose cisplatin in the treatment of locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer patients: a single institute experience

Gemcitabine in combination with low-dose cisplatin has shown promising activity in pancreatic cancer with manageable toxicities. The purpose of this study is to assess the activity of a combination of gemcitabine and low-dose cisplatin in the first-line treatment of metastatic and locally advanced pancreatic cancer patients. We conducted a retrospective analysis of all patients diagnosed with metastatic and locally advanced pancreatic cancer who received a combination of gemcitabine and cisplatin in the first-line setting. Patients with baseline cytopenias and elevated liver function tests were included. Patients received cisplatin at 20 mg per square meter followed by gemcitabine at a dose of 1000 mg per square meter at fixed dose rate every 2 weeks. Patients were treated until disease progression or unacceptable toxicities. A total of 58 patients were included in the analysis. The median progression-free survival was 4.4 months [95 % confidence interval (CI) 3.6–6.4], and median overall survival was 6.7 months (95 % CI 4.4–10.9). Thirty-eight patients (66 %) experienced at least one grade 3 or 4 toxicity. The most common grade 3 or 4 toxicity was hematologic toxicity (25 patients, 43 %). Biweekly fixed dose rate gemcitabine combined with low-dose cisplatin shows interesting activity in advanced pancreatic cancer. This regimen is an acceptable alternative for patients ineligible for gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel (i.e., those with elevated bilirubin at baseline) or clinical trials. Additionally, this regimen should be considered as a first-line option for those patients with breast cancer susceptibility gene mutations (BRCA1 and/or BRCA2).