A NOVEL REGIMEN FOR CERVICAL CANCER

J Clin Oncol. 2011 Mar 28. [Epub ahead of print]

Phase III, Open-Label, Randomized Study Comparing Concurrent Gemcitabine Plus Cisplatin and Radiation Followed by Adjuvant Gemcitabine and Cisplatin Versus Concurrent Cisplatin and Radiation in Patients With Stage IIB to IVA Carcinoma of the Cervix.

Dueñas-González A, Zarbá JJ, Patel F, Alcedo JC, Beslija S, Casanova L, Pattaranutaporn P, Hameed S, Blair JM, Barraclough H, Orlando M.

National Cancer Institute/Institute of Biomedical Research, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México City, México; Medical Center, San Roque, Tucumán; Eli Lilly Interamerica, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India; National Institute of Oncology, Panamá, Panamá; Institute of Oncology, Clinical Centre of Sarajevo University, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina; Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Neoplasticas, Lima, Peru; Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand; Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Lahore, Pakistan; and Eli Lilly, Sydney, Australia.

Abstract

PURPOSE To determine whether addition of gemcitabine to concurrent cisplatin chemoradiotherapy and as adjuvant chemotherapy with cisplatin improves progression-free survival (PFS) at 3 years compared with current standard of care in locally advanced cervical cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS Eligible chemotherapy- and radiotherapy-naive patients with stage IIB to IVA disease and Karnofsky performance score ≥ 70 were randomly assigned to arm A (cisplatin 40 mg/m(2) and gemcitabine 125 mg/m(2) weekly for 6 weeks with concurrent external-beam radiotherapy [XRT] 50.4 Gy in 28 fractions, followed by brachytherapy [BCT] 30 to 35 Gy in 96 hours, and then two adjuvant 21-day cycles of cisplatin, 50 mg/m(2) on day 1, plus gemcitabine, 1,000 mg/m(2) on days 1 and 8) or to arm B (cisplatin and concurrent XRT followed by BCT only; dosing same as for arm A). Results Between May 2002 and March 2004, 515 patients were enrolled (arm A, n = 259; arm B, n = 256). PFS at 3 years was significantly improved in arm A versus arm B (74.4% v 65.0%, respectively; P = .029), as were overall PFS (log-rank P = .0227; hazard ratio [HR], 0.68; 95% CI, 0.49 to 0.95), overall survival (log-rank P = .0224; HR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.49 to 0.95), and time to progressive disease (log-rank P = .0012; HR, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.37 to 0.79). Grade 3 and 4 toxicities were more frequent in arm A than in arm B (86.5% v 46.3%, respectively; P < .001), including two deaths possibly related to treatment toxicity in arm A. CONCLUSION Gemcitabine plus cisplatin chemoradiotherapy followed by BCT and adjuvant gemcitabine/cisplatin chemotherapy improved survival outcomes with increased but clinically manageable toxicity when compared with standard treatment.