Clinical problems in gemcitabine treatment for unresectable pancreatic cancer in the elderly--a multicentric retrospective study of 53 cases
Takeuchi, N.; Maejima, S.; Hasebe, O.; Matsuda, Y.; Hanazaki, K.; Kajikawa, S.; Mukawa, K.; Hosokawa, K.; Hayashi, K.; Hisa, T.; Furut, K.; Tajiri, K.; Fujimori, Y.; Kaneko, G.; Ochi, Y.; Shikama, N.; Kawa, S.; Miyagawa, S.; Miwa, S.; Kiyosawa, K.
Gan to Kagaku Ryoho. Cancer and ChemoTherapy 31(12): 1987-1991
2004
ISSN/ISBN: 0385-0684 PMID: 15570926 Document Number: 568651
In Gemcitabine treatment, elderly patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer are more likely to suffer from haematological and non-haematological adverse effects than non-elderly patients. Forty percent of the elderly patients were dropped from the initial protocol due to the adverse effects, mainly because of non-haematological events or symptoms. To avoid adverse effects, the administration schedule for Gemcitabine tended to be less often and at a lower dose for elderly patients among members of the Nagano Pancreatic Cancer Study Group. However, the fact that some cases showed a limited effect from this administration schedule albeit without adverse effect, might suggest that the frequency of ordinary administration schedule should be maintained, although the Gemcitabine dose could be decreased in unresectable pancreatic cancer patients in poor condition.