Future directions for gemcitabine in the treatment of genitourinary cancer

Abstract

Because of an annual morbidity of 225,000 patients and mortality of over 56,000 patients per year in the United States from metastatic genitourinary malignancies, there is a great need for new systemic agents. With its activity and low toxicity, gemcitabine has begun to play a growing role in genitourinary cancer treatment and clinical trials. Substantial activity has been reported for gemcitabine combinations in the treatment of bladder cancer (median survival in one study of nearly 20 months) and for gemcitabine alone or in combinations in testicular cancer patients. Lower (but real) levels of activity have also been observed for gemcitabine combinations in renal carcinoma (17% response rate) and for monotherapy in hormone-refractory prostate cancer (7%). These data suggest the need for further trials of gemcitabine alone or in combinations in genitourinary cancer patients.