Gemzar gemcitabine: Phase III data

Researchers at the University of Liverpool and colleagues reported data from the open-label, international Phase III ESPAC-3 trial in 1,088 patients with completely resected pancreatic cancer showing that there was no significant difference on the primary endpoint of median OS between standard of care Gemzar or 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) chemotherapy plus folinic acid (23.6 vs. 23 months, p=0.39). There were also no significant differences between treatment groups in PFS or global quality of life scores, but a significantly greater proportion of patients receiving 5-FU plus folinic acid had a treatment-related serious adverse event vs. Gemzar (14% vs. 7.5%, p<0.001). Data were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. ...