Administration of gemcitabine and cisplatin in cancer patients with renal failure under hemodialysis.

PURPOSE There is no optimal dosing schedule of gemcitabine (GEM) and cisplatin (CDDP) combination for cancer patients with renal failure (RF) on hemodialysis (HD). The purpose of this study was to share our experience of using GEM and CDDP in such patients. METHODS The starting dose of GEM was defined based on single-agent treatment of two cancer patients with RF. Between November 2006 and June 2009, 4 RF cancer patients on HD received a GEM and CDDP combination chemotherapy (CDDP 30mg/m(2) on days 1, 8, 15 and GEM 600mg/m(2) on day 15; repeated every 28 days). The HD was conducted within 24 hours after the completion of GEM and/or CDDP administration. RESULTS Reduced-dose GEM and CDDP combination showed efficacy and good tolerability for cancer patients with RF under HD.