Abstract

In recent years, the clinical application of paclitaxel (Taxol), docetaxel (Taxotere), vinorelbine (Navelbine), and trastuzumab (Herceptin) has improved the management of advanced breast cancer. With the introduction of gemcitabine, a new drug with significant activity in breast cancer has become available. As a single agent, gemcitabine (Gemzar) provides response rates in the range of 25% to 46% in breast cancer, depending on starting dose and status of prior chemotherapy for metastatic disease. Higher response rates are observed when gemcitabine is combined with other classes of cytotoxic drugs. Studies conducted in our laboratory detected high degrees of synergy between gemcitabine and cisplatin (Platinol) in a variety of human tumors in primary culture. These analyses identified breast cancer as a target for this combination. The combination of cisplatin plus gemcitabine is active in relapsed breast cancer patients. The activity observed in drug-resistant patients suggests relative non-cross resistance with other drug combinations.