Gemcitabine-based therapy in pancreas cancer

Since its approval in 1998 by the Food and Drug Administration, gemcitabine has rapidly become accepted as a standard part of palliative therapy for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. It has modest activity when used as a single agent, and this has led to numerous studies combining it with other active agents, including cytotoxic as well as biologic and targeted therapies. Numerous Phase II studies suggest that the combinations may have greater activity than single agent therapy. However, randomized trials concerning this are still in progress. In the current article, a variety of gemcitabine-based novel combinations showing promising activity are reviewed.