Curative effect of combined gemcitabine and cisplatin on anthracycline and taxane-resistant advanced breast cancer

Objective To observe the curative effect and safety of combined gemcitabine and cisplatin for anthracycline and taxane-resistant advanced breast cancer（ABC） patients. Methods Sixty anthracycline and taxane–resistant ABC patients admitted to Chinese PLA General Hospital from October 2004 to July 2009 were treated with gemcitabine（1 000-1 250mg/m²） on days 1 and 8 and cisplatin（25mg/m²） on days 1-3 by intravenous drip after admission,21 days as a cycle.Curative effect of chemotherapy was evaluated after 2 cycles of treatment.Side effects of chemotherapy were monitored. Results The 60 patients received 3.7 cycles（range 2-6） of chemotherapy.Of the 60 patients,1（1.7%） showed a complete response,19（31.7%） a partial response,30（50.0%） a stable disease,and 10（16.7%） a progressive disease.The overall response rate was 33.4%.The median progression time of the disease was 4.2 months and the overall survival time of the patients was 18.3 months.The major side effects of chemotherapy were bone marrow inhibition and gastrointestinal reactions. Conclusion Combined gemcitabine and cisplatin therapy is effective and safe for anthracycline and taxane-resistant ABC patients.