Management of first-line palliative chemotherapy for post-treatment metastasis after gemcitabine plus cisplatin induction chemotherapy: Gemcitabine plus cisplatin and non-gemcitabine plus cisplatin chemotherapy

Background: To evaluate whether patients with post-treatment metastasis are suitable for GP first-line palliative chemotherapy (PCT) after undergoing GP IC.

Methods: Seven hundred and forty-six patients with post-treatment metastasis after undergoing GP IC were eligible. Survival outcomes were compared.

Results: Significant differences in survival rates were observed between patients treated with GP and non-GP chemotherapy (2-year progression-free survival [PFS]: 0.7% vs. 9.7%). We investigated survival outcomes of patients treated with GP PCT within 2 years after undergoing GP IC, treated with GP PCT 2 years after undergoing GP IC, and those of non-GP PCT patients (2-year PFS: 0.0%, 2.3%, 9.7%). However, there was no difference in the 2-year PFS between the patients that received GP PCT 2 years after undergoing GP IC and the non-GP PCT treated patients.

Conclusions: GP is not recommended for patients that have received GP IC within 2 years. Two years after undergoing GP IC, GP can be considered.