Docetaxel plus gemcitabine as first-line treatment in malignant pleural mesothelioma: a single institution phase II study

The cisplatin-pemetrexed and cisplatin-gemcitabine combinations are considered the standard treatment for malignant pleural mesothelioma. The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of gemcitabine plus docetaxel in the first-line setting, as this combination has not been investigated in mesothelioma before.Twenty-five consecutive patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma were enrolled. They received 80 mg/m(2) of docetaxel and 1,000 mg/m(2) of gemcitabine on days 1 and 14 of a 28-day cycle. The treatment was scheduled for a maximum of 6 cycles or until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.A total of 7 out of our 25 patients (28%) responded to treatment. In 14 patients (56%), the disease remained stable, while in 4 (16%) it progressed. The median time to progression was 7 months (range: 5.4-8.6 months) and the median overall survival was 15 months (range: 12.4-17.5 months).The administration of gemcitabine and doctaxel appears to be promising first-line therapy for patients with mesothelioma, as it is well tolerated and appears to improve survival.