ABSTRACT
Aims: To obtain real-world data on ramucirumab use and effectiveness for the treatment of advanced gastric cancer (AGC) or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma (GEJ). Methods: Observational, retrospective study carried out in 20 Spanish hospitals, in patients who started ramucirumab treatment between December 2015 and December 2018. Descriptive analysis was conducted for patient characteristics, treatment patterns and effectiveness outcomes. Results: Three hundred seventeen patients were included (93.7% treated with ramucirumab-paclitaxel and 6.3% with ramucirumab); age 62.5 (11.3) years; 66.9% male. Median progression-free survival and overall survival were 3.9 months (95% CI: 3.4-4.3) and 7.4 (95% CI: 6.4-8.9) in combination regimen and 2.0 (1.1-2.8) and 4.3 (95% CI: 1.9-7.3) in monotherapy, respectively. Conclusion: The study findings were consistent with available real-world studies and randomized clinical trials.
Subject(s)
Adenocarcinoma/therapy , Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized/administration & dosage , Paclitaxel/administration & dosage , Stomach Neoplasms/therapy , Adenocarcinoma/diagnosis , Adenocarcinoma/mortality , Adenocarcinoma/pathology , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized/adverse effects , Chemotherapy, Adjuvant/methods , Chemotherapy, Adjuvant/statistics & numerical data , Esophagogastric Junction/pathology , Esophagogastric Junction/surgery , Female , Gastrectomy , Humans , Kaplan-Meier Estimate , Male , Middle Aged , Neoadjuvant Therapy/methods , Neoadjuvant Therapy/statistics & numerical data , Paclitaxel/adverse effects , Progression-Free Survival , Retrospective Studies , Spain/epidemiology , Stomach Neoplasms/diagnosis , Stomach Neoplasms/mortality , Stomach Neoplasms/pathology , RamucirumabABSTRACT
Purpose Ethanol as an excipient is used to enhance the solubility of gemcitabine, but, sometimes, the dose of ethanol a patient may be given is much higher than the dose considered to be toxic. We aimed to assess ethanol-related symptoms and signs in patients receiving two formulations of gemcitabine, with and without ethanol. Methods A randomized double blind cross-over study was conducted. All patients being treated with gemcitabine received two consecutive doses of the drug, one diluted from a concentrate for solution for infusion (CSI) containing ethanol and the other from a lyophilized powder, without ethanol, which was used as control group. After each administration, patients were surveyed in order to assess the appearance of any alcohol consumption symptoms (dizziness, difficulty speaking, unsteady walking, impaired balance, mood swings and slower reactions). Widmark formula and the amount of alcohol measured on the breath (breathalyzer) were used to estimate blood alcohol concentration. Results Twenty-four patients received both formulations and were included in the analysis. Mean administered ethanol dose when prepared from CSI was 15.81 ± 2.25 g (mean ± SD). When using CSI gemcitabine, estimated blood ethanol concentration was 0.033 g/dl according to Widmark formula and 0.02 g/dl according to breathalyzer results. Although overall incidence of symptoms was higher in the study group, the difference was not statistically significant (33% vs. 25%; p = 0.53). Conclusions These findings prove there is no difference in the onset of ethanol related symptoms when using CSI instead of lyophilized powder on the reconstitution of gemcitabine.
