Gemcitabine is administered intravenously drip for 30 minutes.
Non-small cell lung cancer
Monotherapy: the recommended dose of the drug is 1000 mg / m2 on days 1, 8 and 15 of each 28-day cycle.
Combination therapy with pisaplatin: the recommended dose of the drug is 1250 mg / m2 on days 1 and 8 of each 21-day cycle or 1000 mg / m2 on days 1, 8 and 15 of each 28-day cycle. Cisplatinum is administered at a dose of 70 mg / m2 on the 1st day of the cycle against the background of the water load after the infusion of gemcitabine.
Combination therapy with carboplatin: the recommended dose of the drug is 1000 mg / m2 or 1200 mg / m2 on days 1 and 8 of each 21-day cycle. Carboplatin is administered in a dose AUC (area under the concentration-time curve) 5.0 mg / ml * min on the 1st day of the cycle after the infusion of gemcitabine.
Mammary cancer
Combination therapy: as a therapy for the 1st line in the progression of the disease after neoadjuvant therapy, including anthracyclines, the recommended dose of the drug is 1250 mg / m2 on the 1 st and 8 th days in combination with paclitaxel, which is administered after the administration of gemcitabine at a dose of 175 mg / m2 on the 1st day of each 21-day cycle, intravenously drip for about 3 hours.
Urothelial cancer
Monotherapy: the recommended dose of the drug is 1250 mg / m2 on days 1, 8 and 15 of each 28-day cycle.
Combination Therapy: the recommended dose of the drug is 1000 mg / m2 in the 1 st, 8 th and 15 th days in combination with cisplatin, which is administered at a dose of 70 mg / m2 immediately after the infusion of gemcitabine on the 1st or 2nd day of each 28-day cycle.
Epithelial ovarian cancer
Monotherapy: the recommended dose of the drug is 800-1250 mg / m2 in the 1st, 8th and 15th days of each 28-day cycle.
Combination therapy: the recommended dose of the drug is 1000 mg / m2 in the 1 st and 8 th days in combination with carboplatin in a dose AUC 4.0 mg / ml * min, which is injected immediately after the infusion of gemcitabine on the 1st day of each 21-day cycle.
Pancreas cancer
Monotherapy: the recommended dose of the drug is 1000 mg / m2 1 time per week for 7 weeks with; the next week break. Then the drug is administered on the 1st, 8th and 15th days of each 28-day cycle.
Cancer of the cervix (locally advanced or metastatic).
Combined therapy.
With locally advanced cancer (neoadjuvant) and with metastatic cancer gemcitabine is administered at a dose of 1250 mg / m2 in the 1st and 8th days of each 21-day cycle. Cisplatinum is administered after administration of gemcitabine at a dose of 70 mg / m2 in the first day of the cycle against a background of hyperhydration.
With locally advanced cancer with simultaneous radiotherapy gemcitabine Enter once a week for 6 weeks at a dose of 125 mg / m2 with the subsequent (immediately after the introduction of gemcitabine) by the administration of cisplatin in a dose of 40 mg / m2 for 1-2 hours before the start of radiotherapy. Radiation therapy is performed for 28 fractions, in a single focal dose of 1.8 Gy, 5 days a week to a total focal dose of 50.4 Gy.
Change in the dose of the drug in connection with the phenomena of hematological toxicity
Start of treatment cycle
Regardless of the indications, before each administration of the drug it is necessary to evaluate the number of platelets and granulocytes.
The condition for the initiation of treatment is an absolute number of neutrophils of not less than 1500 / μL and a platelet count of at least 100,000 / μL.
If hematological toxicity develops during the treatment cycle, the dose of gemcitabine may be reduced, or its administration postponed in accordance with the following recommendations:
Modification of the dose of gemcitabine used in monotherapy or in combination with cisplatin in the treatment of bladder cancer, non-small cell lung cancer and pancreatic cancer
Absolute amount (in 1 μl) | | The number of platelets (in 1 μl) | % of the standard dose |
>1000 | and | >100000 | 100 |
500-1000 | or | 50000-100000 | 75 |
<500 | or | <50000 | Postpone the introduction * |
With an increase in the number of neutrophils to 500 / μL and platelets to 50,000 / μL, the administration of gemcitabine can be continued as part of the cycle.
Modification of the dose of gemcitabine, used in combination with paclitaxel in the treatment of breast cancer
Absolute amount (in 1 μl) | | The number of platelets (in 1 μl) | % of the standard dose |
≥1200 | and | >75000 | 100 |
1000-<1200 | or | 50000-75000 | 75 |
700-<1000 | and | ≥50000 | 50 |
<700 | or | <50000 | Postpone the introduction * |
* Treatment within the cycle is not resumed. The next introduction of gemcitabine is carried out in the 1 st day of the next cycle when the amount of neutrophils is reached to at least 1500 / μl and platelets to 100,000 / μL
Modification of the dose of gemcitabine, used in combination with carboplatin in the treatment of ovarian cancer.
Absolute amount (in 1 μl) | | The number of platelets (in 1 μl) | % of the standard dose |
>1500 | and | ≥100000 | 100 |
1000-1500 | or | 75000-100000 | 50 |
<1000 | or | <75000 | Postpone the introduction * |
* Treatment within the cycle is not resumed. The next administration of gemcitabine is carried out on the 1st day of the next cycle when the amount of neutrophils is reached to at least 1500 / μl and platelets to 100,000 / μL
The dose of gemcitabine in the next cycle should be reduced by 25% for all indications in cases when the previous cycle showed:
- decrease in the absolute number of neutrophils <500 / μL, lasting more than 5 days
- a decrease in the absolute number of neutrophils <100 / μL, lasting more than 3 days
- febrile neutropenia
- decrease in the number of platelets <25000 / μL
- The cycle was delayed more than 1 week due to hematological toxicity
Method of administration
Infusion gemcitabine is usually well tolerated by patients and can be performed on an outpatient basis. In the case of extravasation, the infusion is discontinued and the drug is resumed into another vein. After the introduction of gemcitabine, the patient should be observed for some time.
Special patient groups
Patients with impaired hepatic and renal function: apply gemcitabine in patients with hepatic insufficiency or with impaired renal function should be taken with caution, since there is insufficient data on the use of the drug in this category of patients. Renal failure of moderate or moderate severity (glomerular filtration rate from 30 ml / min to 80 ml / min) has no significant effect on the pharmacokinetics of gemcitabine.
Elderly patients (> 65 years): Gemcitabine is well tolerated by patients over 65 years of age. Specific recommendations for changing the dose of the drug for this population are absent.
Children (<18 years): gemcitabine It is not recommended to prescribe to children under the age of 18 due to insufficient information on the safety and efficacy of the drug in this population.
Recommendations for the preparation of a solution for infusions
As a solvent, only 0.9% sodium chloride solution is used without preservatives.
To prepare a solution for infusions, the contents of the 200 mg bottle are dissolved in at least 5 ml, and 1 g in at least 25 ml of a 0.9% solution of sodium chloride for injection. Each vial is gently shaken until the lyophilizate is completely dissolved. The resulting solution should be clear.
The maximum concentration of gemcitabine should not exceed 40 mg / ml. Solutions prepared with a concentration higher than 40 mg / ml may be accompanied by incomplete dissolution.
A prepared gemcitabine solution containing the desired dose of the preparation is diluted with 0.9% sodium chloride solution for injection in an amount sufficient for a 30-minute intravenous infusion before administration.
Before parenteral administration, it is necessary to visually monitor the prepared solution for mechanical impurities and discoloration.