Clinical efficacy and safety of gemcitabine plus nedaplatin in the treatment of advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Objective: The purpose was to explore the clinical effects and safety of gemcitabine plus nedaplatin in the treatment of advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Materials And Methods: From March 2014 to August 2015, we recruited 63 advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients in our hospital. Moreover, the 62 cases were randomly divided into control group (n = 31) and treatment group (n = 32). Patients in the control groups were treated with 5-fluorouracil 500 mg/m 2 + 500 ml 0.9% sodium chloride injection intervenous drop infusion in day 1-5 plus cisplatin 20 mg/m 2 + 500 ml 0.9% sodium chloride injection intervenous drop infusion in day 1-5 with 21 days per cycle for 3 cycles; Moreover, patients in the treatment group were given gemcitabine 1000 mg/m 2 + 500 ml 0.9% sodium chloride injection intervenous drop infusion in day 1 and 8 plus nedaplatin 20 mg/m 2 + 500 ml 0.9% sodium chloride injection intervenous drop infusion in day 1 with 21 days per cycle for 3 cycles. The objective response rate (ORR) and chemotherapy-associated toxicities were compared between the two groups.

Results: After 3 cycle chemotherapy, the ORR was 41.9% and 78.1% in the control and treatment group, respectively, with statistical difference (P < 0.05); The main chemotherapy-related toxicity were hematological toxicity and gastrointestinal reaction with no statistical difference between the two groups (P > 0.05).

Conclusion: The ORR was relative high for gemcitabine plus nedaplatin in the treatment of advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma with main toxicity of hematological toxicity and gastrointestinal reaction.