Combination of gemcitabine and carboplatin chemotherapy for recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

e16006 Background: Although appropriate radiotherapy and combined treatments are widely used for the patients with primary nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), regional or metastatic recurrence rates are still high. This study evaluated the efficacy and toxicity of combination gemcitabine plus carboplatin (GC) chemotherapy in recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Methods: Patients with recurrent NPC who have received previous cisplatinum based chemotherapy combined with radiation therapy were eligible for this study. Patients received GC combination: gemcitabine 1,250 mg/m2; days 1, and 8; carboplatin AUC 4 on day 1. Cycles were repeated every 28 days until progression or unacceptable toxicity. Primary endpoint was response rate. Results: 25 patients were enrolled (20 males and 5 females). Median age was 46.5 years. Majority of patients (20) had metastatic disease. 63% of patients have received one previous line of treatment. There were 8 partial responses (32%), 9 stable diseases (36%), and 8 progressive ...