TY - JOUR T1 - Synergistic Cytotoxic Activity of Treosulfan and Gemcitabine in Pancreatic Cancer Cell Lines JF - Anticancer Research JO - Anticancer Res SP - 1779 LP - 1784 VL - 34 IS - 4 AU - EMILIA NITSCH AU - SORMEH MINA AU - INGO BRAMMER AU - ANDREA PACE AU - GUNTER SCHUCH AU - CARSTEN BOKEMEYER AU - AXEL ZANDER AU - NICOLAUS KRÖGER AU - FRANCIS AYUK Y1 - 2014/04/01 UR - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/34/4/1779.abstract N2 - Background: Treatment for advanced pancreatic cancer is still very unsatisfactory. Treosulfan is an alkylating agent used for conventional, as well as high-dose chemotherapy regimens, whereby plasma concentrations over 500 μg/ml can be achieved. We investigated the effects of treosulfan on pancreatic cancer cell lines. Materials and Methods: Using Panc-1, MIA PaCa-2 and Capan-2 cell lines, we investigated the in vitro cytotoxicity of treosulfan-alone and in combination with gemcitabine, 5-fluorouracil or irradiation. Results: Treosulfan was potently cytotoxic against all pancreatic cancer cell lines at all concentrations (1-100 μg/ml). Combination of treosulfan and gemcitabine revealed strong synergistic effects independent of the sequence of drug administration. Similarly, synergism was observed with irradiation. Combination of treosulfan and 5-fluorouracil revealed antagonism. Conclusion: Treosulfan effectively kills pancreatic carcinoma cells in vitro and has synergistic activity in combination with gemcitabine and irradiation. These results warrant further investigation of treosulfan in the treatment of pancreatic cancer. ER -