Gemcitabine plus cisplatin for patients with recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Taiwan: A multicenter prospective Phase II trial

Objective: This multicenter Phase II trial evaluated the toxicity/efficacy of gemcitabine plus cisplatin as first-line chemotherapy in patients with recurrent/metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Methods: Gemcitabine 1250 mg/m2 on Days 1 and 8 and cisplatin 75 mg/m2 on Day 1 were administered at a 3-week interval. The primary endpoint was the response rate. Secondary endpoints included progression-free survival, overall survival, response duration and safety. Results: Fifty-two patients were recruited between 2004 and 2008. The response rate was 51.9% (complete remission rate, 9.6%) in the intent-to-treat group. The median progression-free and overall survivals were 9.8 and 14.6 months, respectively. The major Grade III/IV adverse event was leucopenia (61.6%). The mean number of cycleswas 6.63 ± 0.40. The regimenwaswell-tolerated, although one treatment-related death occurred after severe sepsis from aspiration pneumonia. Conclusions: Gemcitabine plus cisplatin is an effective, well-tolerated regimen as a first-line treatment for recurrent/metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma.