Gemcitabine plus best supportive care for lung cancer
Author Information
Author(s): Anderson H, Hopwood P, Stephens R J, Thatcher N, Cottier B, Nicholson M, Milroy R, Maughan T S, Falk S J, Bond M G, Burt P A, Connolly C K, McIllmurray M B, Carmichael J
Primary Institution: Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester
Hypothesis
Does gemcitabine plus best supportive care improve quality of life compared to best supportive care alone in patients with inoperable non-small cell lung cancer?
Conclusion
Patients treated with gemcitabine plus best supportive care reported better quality of life and reduced disease-related symptoms compared to those receiving best supportive care alone.
Supporting Evidence
- The percentage change in mean symptom score was a 10% decrease for gemcitabine plus BSC and a 1% increase for BSC alone.
- A sustained improvement in symptom score was recorded in 22% of gemcitabine + BSC patients compared to 9% of BSC patients.
- Tumour response occurred in 19% of gemcitabine patients.
- The median overall survival was similar between the two groups, with 5.7 months for gemcitabine + BSC and 5.9 months for BSC.
Takeaway
This study found that giving a medicine called gemcitabine along with regular care helps people with lung cancer feel better than just regular care alone.
Methodology
A randomized multicentre trial comparing gemcitabine plus best supportive care to best supportive care alone, focusing on quality of life and symptom assessment.
Limitations
No difference in overall survival was observed between the treatment groups.
Participant Demographics
Patients with symptomatic, locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer, balanced for age, gender, Karnofsky performance status, and disease stage.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.0014
Confidence Interval
95% CI 13–27 for tumor response; 95% CI 4.6–7.6 for gemcitabine + BSC overall survival; 95% CI 5.0–7.9 for BSC overall survival
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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