RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as gemcitabine and paclitaxel, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving gemcitabine together with paclitaxel may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving gemcitabine together with paclitaxel works in treating patients with persistent, recurrent, or metastatic head and neck cancer.
OBJECTIVES: * Determine overall and progression-free survival probability in patients with persistent, recurrent, or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck treated with gemcitabine and paclitaxel. * Determine the confirmed and unconfirmed response (partial and complete) probability in patients with measurable disease treated with this regimen. * Determine the toxicity of this regimen in these patients. OUTLINE: This is a multicenter study. Patients receive gemcitabine IV over 30 minutes and paclitaxel IV over 1 hour on days 1 and 15. Courses repeat every 28 days in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients with a complete response (CR) receive 4 additional courses beyond CR. Patients are followed every 8 weeks until disease progression, every 6 month for 2 years, and then annually for 1 year. PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 65 patients will be accrued for this study within 10-13 months.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
67
3,000 mg/m2 IV over 30 minutes on days 1 and 15 (q28 days).
150 mg/m2 IV over 1 hour on days 1 and 15 (q 28 day cycle), administered after gemcitabine
Overall Survival
Measured from time of registration to date of death due to any cause. Patients last known to be alive are censored at date of last contact.
Time frame: 0 - 3 years
Progression-free Survival
Measured from date of registration to date of first documentation of progression or symptomatic deterioration, or death due to any cause. Patients last known to be alive and progression-free are censored at date of last contact.
Time frame: 0 - 3 years
Response
Complete Response (CR) is complete disappearance of all measurable and non-measurable disease. No new lesions. No disease related symptoms. Normalization of markers and other normal lab values. Partial Response (PR) is greater than or equal to 30% decrease under baseline of the sum of longest diameters of all target measurable lesions. No unequivocal progression of non-measurable disease. No new lesions. Confirmation of CR or PR means a repeat scan at least 4 weeks apart documented before progression or symptomatic deterioration.
Time frame: 9 weeks - 3 years
Number of Patients With Grade 3 Through 5 Adverse Events That Are Related to Study Drug
Adverse Events (AEs) are reported by the CTCAE (NCI Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events) Version 3.0. For each patient, worst grade of each event type is reported. Grade 3 = Severe, Grade 4 = Life-threatening, Grade 5 = Fatal.
Time frame: Patients were assessed for adverse events after the first cycle of treatment and then every three months while on treatment.
This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Northeast Alabama Regional Medical Center
Anniston, Alabama, United States
Mobile Infirmary Medical Center
Mobile, Alabama, United States
University of Colorado Cancer Center at University of Colorado Health Sciences Center
Aurora, Colorado, United States
Veterans Affairs Medical Center - Denver
Denver, Colorado, United States
Montrose Memorial Hospital Cancer Center
Montrose, Colorado, United States
Exempla Lutheran Medical Center
Wheat Ridge, Colorado, United States
Pearlman Comprehensive Cancer Center at South Georgia Medical Center
Valdosta, Georgia, United States
Cancer Research Center of Hawaii
Honolula, Hawaii, United States
OnCare Hawaii, Incorporated - Lusitana
Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
Queen's Cancer Institute at Queen's Medical Center
Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
...and 113 more locations