New pooled research has given the clearest indication yet that combining platinum-based drugs with gemcitabine can prolong the lives of pancreatic cancer sufferers.

Separate studies have suggested that gemcitabine not only increases the number of cross-links in DNA formed by cisplatin, but that it also works to prevent the cell from repairing the damage.

Furthermore, scientists have speculated that cisplatin enhances the number of gemcitabine molecules in the DNA in cancer skills - thus, improving the rate of cell death in tumours.

Indications that this may be the case has been uncovered by Dr Volker Heiemann from Klinikum Grosshadern in Munich and his colleagues, who combined data from the two largest European trials of the treatment - the Gercor/Giscad French/Italian study and a German multicentre study, medicalnewstoday.com reports.

The team found that although "the results of the trials were individually non-significant" when viewed separately, the pooled analysis showed that overall response rates were improved by the addition of platinum-based drugs to gemcitabine.

Specifically, it was revealed that 22 per cent receiving cisplatin as well as gemcitabine lived longer, compared with 14 per cent who only received gemcitabine.

The team said: "[From this] it may be concluded that patients with good performance status should be candidates for the more intensive combination therapy, while patients with a compromised performance status should rather be offered cytotoxic treatment with gemcitabine alone."

Source:

Combining A Platinum-Based Drug With Gemcitabine Could Extend Survival For Patients With Pancreatic Cancer, 20/11/07
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/89252.php

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