Gemcitabine is a nucleoside analog and a chemotherapeutic agent. It was originally investigated for its antiviral effects, but it is now used as an anticancer therapy for various cancers. Gemcitabine is a cytidine analog with two fluorine atoms replacing the hydroxyl on the ribose. As a prodrug, gemcitabine is transformed into its active metabolites that work by replacing the building blocks of nucleic acids during DNA elongation, arresting tumour growth and promoting apoptosis of malignant cells. The structure, metabolism, and mechanism of action of gemcitabine are similar to cytarabine, but gemcitabine has a wider spectrum of antitumour activity.
Gemcitabine is marketed as Gemzar and it is available as intravenous injection. It is approved by the FDA to treat advanced ovarian cancer in combination with carboplatin, metastatic breast cancer in combination with paclitaxel, non-small cell lung cancer in combination with cisplatin, and pancreatic cancer as monotherapy. It is also being investigated in other cancer and tumour types.
Gemcitabine is a chemotherapeutic agent used as monotherapy or in combination with other anticancer agents.
In combination with carboplatin, it is indicated for the treatment of advanced ovarian cancer that has relapsed at least 6 months after completion of platinum-based therapy.
Gemcitabine in combination with paclitaxel is indicated for the first-line treatment of patients with metastatic breast cancer after failure of prior anthracycline-containing adjuvant chemotherapy, unless anthracyclines were clinically contraindicated.
In combination with cisplatin, gemcitabine is indicated for the first-line treatment of patients with inoperable, locally advanced (Stage IIIA or IIIB) or metastatic (Stage IV) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Dual therapy with cisplatin is also used to treat patients with Stage IV (locally advanced or metastatic) transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the bladder.
Gemcitabine is indicated as first-line treatment for patients with locally advanced (nonresectable Stage II or Stage III) or metastatic (Stage IV) adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. Gemcitabine is indicated for patients previously treated with fluorouracil.
Inova Schar Cancer Institute, Fairfax, Virginia, United States
Hospital de Cancer de Barretos - Fundacao Pio XII, Barretos, Other, Brazil
Centro de Oncologia da Bahia, Salvador, Other, Brazil
Hangzhou first people's Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
Texas Oncology, Dallas, Texas, United States
Ohio State University Center, Columbus, Ohio, United States
Baptist Health South Florida (BHSF) - Miami Cancer Institute, Miami, Florida, United States
UCLA University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States
Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, United States
Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
UO Oncologia, AUSL della Romagna, Ravenna, Italy
U.O. Radioterapia IRCCS IRST, Meldola, Forlì, Italy
Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, Beijing, China
Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
Union Hospital Tongji Medical College Huazhong University of Science And Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
Department of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
Department of Oncology, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark
Zhongshan Hospital, Shanghai, Shanghai, China
Stay informed with timely notifications on clinical trials, regulatory changes, and research advancements related to this medication.