Nedaplatin Plus Docetaxel in the Treatment of Advanced Oesophageal Cancer: A Retrospective Study in China

Background Currently, there is no standard chemotherapy for advanced oesophageal cancer, especially for those with recurrent or metastatic one. Objective To retrospectively investigate the efficacy and safety of combination of nedaplatin with docetaxel in the treatment of Chinese patients with advanced oesophageal cancer. Methods Patients with advanced oesophageal cancer from two specialist hospitals in Guangzhou received intravenously 60 mg/m2 docetaxel for 1 h, followed by 80 mg/m2 nedaplatin for 2 h, on day 1 for every 28 days. Cycles continued until documented disease progression, unacceptable toxicity or patient’s refusal. Kaplan–Meier analysis was used to estimate survival time. Results Between 2008 and 2013, 368 patients were enrolled into the study. A total of 26 patients achieved complete response and 170 patients achieved partial response. The median of progression-free survival and overall survival were 4.4 months and 8.8 months, respectively. The non-hematological toxicities were generally mild to moderate; severe hematological toxicities included neutropenia and anaemia, which observed in 85 (23.1%) patients and 112 (30.4%) patients; thrombocytopenia was mild (mostly Grade1); there were no febrile neutropenia and treatment-related death. Conclusions The combination regimen of nedaplatin with docetaxel is effective and safe.