Gemcitabine: a new approach to treating pancreatic cancer.

  • 14 February 1998
    • journal article
    • review article
    • Vol. 25  (1) , 87-93
Abstract
To review the clinical benefit and nursing considerations of the new anticancer agent gemcitabine hydrochloride in the treatment of patients with pancreatic cancer. Peer-reviewed publications, books. Unsatisfactory tools for assessment of pancreatic cancer have led to the development of a novel end point, "clinical benefit," to assess improvements in disease-related symptoms and performance status. The first clinical studies to use this end point assessed gemcitabine, Results showed that 24% of patients on gemcitabine were clinical benefit responders compared to 5% of patients on 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). In patients refractory to 5-FU, 27% showed a clinical benefit response to gemcitabine. Gemcitabine provides significantly better clinical benefit than standard treatment for pancreatic cancer. Clinical benefit assessments rely on oncology nurses to classify the response to treatment in addition to managing the side effects.

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