Frontiers in Immunology (Jul 2022)

Combination of Low-Dose Gemcitabine and PD-1 Inhibitors for Treatment in Patients With Advanced Malignancies

  • Hao Huang,
  • Ling Peng,
  • Bicheng Zhang,
  • Brian G. Till,
  • Yonghao Yang,
  • Xiaojie Zhang,
  • Lingdi Zhao,
  • Xiaomin Fu,
  • Tiepeng Li,
  • Lu Han,
  • Peng Qin,
  • Lin Chen,
  • Xiang Yan,
  • Yang Liu,
  • Wenkang Wang,
  • Zhenlong Ye,
  • Zhenlong Ye,
  • Zhenlong Ye,
  • Hongle Li,
  • Quanli Gao,
  • Zibing Wang

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2022.882172
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13

Abstract

Read online

PurposeThis study determined the efficacy of low-dose gemcitabine combined with programmed death-1 (PD-1) inhibitors for treating multiple malignancies, providing a cost-effective and safe treatment option.Study DesignThis study included 61 patients with advanced solid tumors treated with low-dose gemcitabine combined with PD-1 inhibitors at the Henan Cancer Hospital between January 2018 and February 2022. We retrospectively reviewed medical records to evaluate several clinical factors, including progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), adverse effects (AEs), and objective response to treatment.ResultsSixty-one patients received treatment with low-dose gemcitabine combined with PD-1 inhibitors. The objective response rate (ORR) was 29.5% and the disease control rate (DCR) was 62.3%. The median PFS was 4.3 months (95% confidence interval, 2.3 to 6.3 months) and the median OS was 15.0 months (95% confidence interval, 8.8 to 21.2 months). Hematological toxicity, mainly leukopenia or thrombocytopenia, was the most common AE, with any-grade and grade 3/4 hematological toxicity reported in 60.7 and 13.1% of patients, respectively.ConclusionsLow-dose gemcitabine combined with PD-1 inhibitors may offer a novel treatment option for patients with advanced malignancies.

Keywords