Randomized Phase IIA Trial of Gemcitabine Compared With Bleomycin Plus Vincristine for Treatment of Kaposi’s Sarcoma in Patients on Combination Antiretroviral Therapy in Western Kenya

Abstract
Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) is a spindle cell tumor resulting from growth dysregulation in the setting of infection with human herpes virus-8 (also called KS herpes virus). Advanced KS is characterized by poor responses to antiretroviral therapy and some of the chemotherapy readily accessible to patients in low-resource areas. Gemcitabine induced partial and complete regression of AIDS-associated KS (AIDS-KS) in 11 of 24 patients in a pilot study. The current study compares the antimetabolite gemcitabine with the standard care bleomycin and vincristine (BV) in the treatment of chemotherapy-naïve patients with AIDS-KS in a resource-limited setting.
Description
Keywords
Bleomycin, Treatment of Kaposi’s, Antiretroviral, Phase IIA Trial
Citation
Busakhala, N. W., Waako, P. J., Strother, M. R., Keter, A. K., Kigen, G. K., Asirwa, F. C., & Loehrer, P. J. (2018). Randomized phase IIA trial of gemcitabine compared with bleomycin plus vincristine for treatment of Kaposi’s sarcoma in patients on combination antiretroviral therapy in Western Kenya. Journal of global oncology, 4, 1-9.DOI: https://doi.org/10.1200/JGO.17.00077