Abstract
Background/Aim: Gemcitabine (GEM)-induced vascular pain often occurs in patients. A 5% glucose solution for the lyophilized formulation of GEM solvent is known to decrease the frequency of GEM-induced vascular pain compared with saline. In this study, we aimed to examine the availability of glucose for a liquid formulation GEM solvent for the prevention of GEM-induced vascular pain. Patients and Methods: In total, 214 patients with bile tract or pancreatic cancer, who received GEM-containing regimens, were enrolled in this retrospective study. The patients were divided into a glucose group, which was administered the liquid formation GEM diluted with glucose, and a saline group. The frequency of GEM-induced vascular pain was compared between them. Results: Glucose significantly decreased the frequency of GEM-induced vascular pain during the first GEM administration (36% vs. 55%, p=0.005). Conclusion: Switching the solution for liquid formulation GEM from saline to glucose significantly decreased the frequency of vascular pain.
- Received November 5, 2021.
- Revision received November 26, 2021.
- Accepted November 29, 2021.
- Copyright © 2022 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.
This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.