Abstract
Purpose
Docetaxel and capecitabine combination is synergistic in preclinical models. We investigated the efficacy and toxicity of this combination as second-line chemotherapy in patients with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma (mPC), pretreated with gemcitabine-based chemotherapy.
Methods
Eligible patients were treated with capecitabine 800 mg/m2 orally PO bid on days 1–14 in combination with intravenous docetaxel 30 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8 of each 21-day cycle. The primary end point was overall response rate. Using a three-stage sequential design, two interim analyses for early stopping due to lack of efficacy were planned and conducted after 13 and 26 patients were accrued. Secondary end points included time to treatment failure, progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) and 50 % drop in CA19-9 levels.
Results
Forty-three patients were evaluable for toxicity and 42 evaluable for response, at a median age of 64 years. The majority of patients (74 %) had ECOG PS 0-1. Six patients (14 %) achieved a partial tumor response, and stable disease for ≥2 cycles was observed in 59 % of patients (n = 25). Thirty-five percent (n = 11/31) of patients had a ≥50 % decrease in CA19-9 levels. The median PFS was 3.7 months (95 % CI 2.1–4.3 months), and the median OS was 5.3 months (95 % CI 4.3–8.6 months). Treatment was generally well tolerated. Grade 3 toxicity and grade 4 toxicity were seen in 45 and 5 % of patients, respectively. One patient had a potential treatment-related mortality.
Conclusions
The combination of capecitabine and docetaxel is active and well tolerated in mPC patients pretreated with gemcitabine-based therapy.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
http://www.cancer.org/research/cancerfactsfigures/cancerfactsfigures/cancer-facts-figures-20132013. Accessed 4 Sept 2013
Conroy T, Desseigne F, Ychou M et al (2011) FOLFIRINOX versus gemcitabine for metastatic pancreatic cancer. N Engl J Med 364:1817–1825
Von Hoff DD, Ervin T, Arena FP, Gabriela Chiorean E, Infante JR, Moore MJ et al (2013) Results of a randomized phase III trial (MPACT) of weekly nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine versus gemcitabine alone for patients with metastatic adenocarcinoma of the pancreas with PET and CA19-9 correlates. In: ASCO annual meeting. Chicago, IL. J Clin Oncol 31: abstract 4005
Oettle H, Pelzer U, Stieler J et al (2005) Oxaliplatin/folinic acid/5-fluorouracil [24 h] (OFF) plus best supportive care versus best supportive care alone (BSC) in second-line therapy of gemcitabine-pretreated advanced pancreatic cancer (CONKO 003). In: ASCO annual meeting proceedings 2005. J Clin Oncol 23: abstract 4031
Pelzer U, Kubica K, Stieler J et al (2008) A randomized trial in patients with gemcitabine pretreated pancreatic cancer. Final results of the CONKO 003 study. In: ASCO annual meeting proceedings. J Clin Oncol 26: abstract 4508
Pelzer U, Schwaner I, Stieler J et al (2011) Best supportive care (BSC) versus oxaliplatin, folinic acid and 5-fluorouracil (OFF) plus BSC in patients for second-line advanced pancreatic cancer: a phase III-study from the German CONKO-study group. Eur J Cancer 47:1676–1681
Fujimoto-Ouchi K, Tanaka Y, Tominaga T (2001) Schedule dependency of antitumor activity in combination therapy with capecitabine/5′-deoxy-5-fluorouridine and docetaxel in breast cancer models. Clin Cancer Res 7:1079–1086
Maher JF, Villalona-Calero MA (2002) Taxanes and capecitabine in combination: rationale and clinical results. Clin Breast Cancer 2:287–293
O’Shaughnessy JA, Blum JL (2006) Capecitabine/taxane combination therapy: evolving clinical utility in breast cancer. Clin Breast Cancer 7:42–50
O’Shaughnessy J, Miles D, Vukelja S et al (2002) Superior survival with capecitabine plus docetaxel combination therapy in anthracycline-pretreated patients with advanced breast cancer: phase III trial results. J Clin Oncol 20:2812–2823
Androulakis N, Kourousis C, Dimopoulos MA et al (1999) Treatment of pancreatic cancer with docetaxel and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor: a multicenter phase II study. J Clin Oncol 17:1779–1785
Rougier P, Adenis A, Ducreux M et al (2000) A phase II study: docetaxel as first-line chemotherapy for advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Eur J Cancer 36:1016–1025
Boeck S, Wilkowski R, Bruns CJ et al (2007) Oral capecitabine in gemcitabine-pretreated patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. Oncology 73:221–227
Kulke MH, Blaszkowsky LS, Ryan DP et al (2007) Capecitabine plus erlotinib in gemcitabine-pretreated advanced pancreatic cancer. J Clin Oncol 25:4787–4792
Xiong HQ, Varadhachary GR, Blais JC et al (2008) Phase 2 trial of oxaliplatin plus capecitabine (XELOX) as second-line therapy for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. Cancer 113:2046–2052
van Meerten ELP, Gelderblom H, Bloem JL (2010) RECIST revised: implications for the radiologist. A review article on the modified RECIST guideline. Eur Radiol 20:1456–1467
Saif MW, Syrigos K, Penney R, Kaley K (2010) Docetaxel second-line therapy in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer: a retrospective study. Anticancer Res 30:2905–2909
Katopodis O, Polyzos A, Kentepozidis N et al (2011) Second-line chemotherapy with capecitabine (Xeloda) and docetaxel (Taxotere) in previously treated, unresectable adenocarcinoma of pancreas: the final results of a phase II trial. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 67:361–368
Chua YJ, Cunningham D (2006) Chemotherapy for advanced pancreatic cancer. Best Pract Res Clin Gastroenterol 20:327–348
Fine R, Moorer G, Sherman W, Chu, Maurer KM, Chabot J et al (2009) Phase II trial of GTX chemotherapy in metastatic pancreatic cancer. Clin Oncol 27(15 Suppl): abstract 4623
Ulrich-Pur H, Raderer M, Verena Kornek G et al (2003) Irinotecan plus raltitrexed vs raltitrexed alone in patients with gemcitabine-pretreated advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Br J Cancer 88:1180–1184
Jacobs AD, Burris HA, Rivkin S et al (2004) A randomized phase III study of rubitecan (ORA) vs. best choice (BC) in 409 patients with refractory pancreatic cancer report from a North-American multi-center study. J Clin Oncol 22(Suppl):Abstr 4013
Astsaturov IA, Meropol NJ, Alpaugh RK et al (2007) A randomized phase II and coagulation study of bevacizumab alone or with docetaxel in patients with previously treated metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma. J Clin Oncol 25(18S):Abstr 4556
Hwang JY, Yoo C, Kim T et al (2009) A randomized phase II study of FOLFOX or FOLFIRI.3 as second-line therapy in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer previously treated with gemcitabine-based chemotherapy. J Clin Oncol 27(15S):Abstr 4618
Acknowledgments
This research is supported by Sanofi-Aventis.
Conflict of interest
The manuscript has never been published and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere. Authors have no financial interest to declare.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Soares, H.P., Bayraktar, S., Blaya, M. et al. A phase II study of capecitabine plus docetaxel in gemcitabine-pretreated metastatic pancreatic cancer patients: CapTere. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 73, 839–845 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00280-014-2414-z
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00280-014-2414-z