ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of low-dose continuous infusion gemcitabine 200 mg/m[2] once weekly on three consecutive out of 4 weeks for 6 cycles compared to the standard-dose gemcitabine 1000 mg/m[2] plus cisplatin in stage III and IV non-small cell lung cancer. Experimental Forty patients of non-small cell lung cancer with stage III and IV who are indicated for chemotherapy received low-dose continuous infusion gemcitabine 200 mg/m[2] plus cisplatin compared to forty patients of non-small cell lung cancer with stage III and IV who received the standard dose gemcitabine 1000 mg/m[2] plus cisplatin. The maximum duration of infusion of gemcitabine in combination with cisplatin was 24 hours with a dose of 200 mg / m[2] / day once weekly on three consecutive out of 4 weeks for 6 cycles. Cisplatin was given once every cycle with a dose of 100 mg/m[2]. This was compared to the standard-dose of gemcitabine 1000 mg/m[2] combined with cisplatin 100 mg/m[2] every 3 weeks for 6 weeks. Severe stomatitis, oesophagitis and myelosuppression were the worst common dose-limiting toxicities. Febrile neutropenia was observed in 8 out of the 40 patients who had received low-dose continuous infusion of gemcitabine as they developed bacteraemia. Occasional nausea, vomiting and diarrhea were also reported in both arms. There were 6 complete responses and 4 partial responses in the arm who received low-dose continuous infusion compared to 8 patients who had complete response and 4 patients with partial response in the standard dose arm. Low-dose continuous infusion gemcitabine for 24 hours with a dose of 200 mg/m[2]/day once weekly on three consecutive out of 4 weeks for 6 cycles gives results that are comparable to those of the standard-dose of gemcitabine but with a higher toxicity profile