XXXX plus @entity3003 , compared with @entity1311 plus @entity136 , shows similar efficacy while more cost-effective: a randomized phase II study of combination chemotherapy against inoperable @entity1149 previously untreated.

@entity1 @entity137 @entity417 @entity902 @entity882 @entity5 @entity3003 @entity1149 @entity1311 @entity1503 @entity1897 @entity1431 @entity136
BACKGROUND: @entity1311 ( @entity1311 ) plus @entity3003 (PC) has shown activity in the treatment of advanced @entity1149 ( @entity1149 ). Non- @entity902 -containing combination chemotherapy, such as @entity1311 plus @entity136 (PG), has also demonstrated reasonable efficacy. Our aim here was to evaluate the clinical efficacy and cost-effectiveness of PC versus PG in chemo-naive. advanced @entity1149 @entity1 . @entity1 AND METHODS: Ninety (68 male, 22 female) @entity1 were enrolled from August 1999 to August 2000. The performance status was one in 29 @entity1 and two in 16 @entity1 of the PC group, and one in 24 @entity1 and two in 21 @entity1 of the PG group. Seventeen @entity1 had @entity5 and 28 @entity1 stage IV disease in the PC group: 18 @entity1 had @entity5 and 27 @entity1 stage IV disease in the PG group (New International Staging System). Treatment consisted of P 175 mg/m2 and C at AUC = 7 (predicted using measured clearances and the Calvert formula) intravenous infusion (i.v.) on day 1, or P 175 mg/m2 i.v. on day 1 and G 1000 mg/m2 i.v. on days 1 and 8, every 3 weeks. RESULTS: In all, 175 cycles of PC and 184 cycles of PG were given in the PC and PG groups, respectively. The median treatment cycle was four cycles in both groups. All the @entity1 were assessable for @entity137 and response measurement. There were three complete responses and 15 partial responses (overall 40%) in the PC group, and no complete response, but 18 partial responses (overall 40%) in the PG group. WHO grades 3/4 @entity1431 , @entity417 and @entity882 occurred in six (13.3%), seven (15.5%) and five @entity1 (11.1%) in the PC group; and in four (8.9%), six (13.3%) and 0 @entity1 in the PG group, respectively. Two @entity1 in each group suffered from grade 3 @entity1897 . Other @entity1503 were mild and few. Median survival time was 14.1 months in the PC group and 12.6 months in the PG group. One-year survival was 50.7% in the PC group and 53.3% in the PG group. The PG group had a higher total expense and expended more days undergoing treatment than the PC group (P = 0.034 and 0.069, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Both PC and PG combination chemotherapy produce a similar efficacy in the treatment of @entity1149 . However, PC is more cost-effective than PG.
