| Inclusion Criteria: | 1) All patients must have histologic demonstration of metastatic or locally unresectable transitional cell carcinoma of the urothelium. Minor components (<50% overall) of variants such as glandular or squamous differentiation, or evolution to more aggressive phenotypes such as sarcomatoid of small cell change are acceptable. However, when these atypical histologies are dominant, other treatment approaches may be appropriate, and such patients are not eligible.
2) All patients must have demonstrated some objective response to combination chemotherapy, and be clinically without progression since this response was appreciated. In general, patients will have been treated with at least two successive combination regimens in order to achieve maximum benefit from available chemotherapy.
3) Patients who have not achieved a complete response to therapy must have received one of the chemotherapy regimens outlined in Appendix D prior to receiving consolidation therapy. Exceptions to this generalization would include patients with a near complete response to the first regimen given, or patients that are not fit for aggressive chemotherapy beyond an initially used regimen to which they responded. Patients must begin "consolidation" therapy within 6 weeks of the end of the last cycle of induction chemotherapy, and should begin as soon as possible.
4) Zubrod performance status of 3 or better. If PS = 3 this must, in the opinion of the investigator, be secondary to the effects of induction chemotherapy and not the underlying cancer.
5) Patients with a history of cardiac disease, or an ejection fraction (EF) less than 50% at the time of initiation of chemotherapy, must be demonstrated to have an ejection fraction of at least 40%. In addition, patients having received more than 250 mg/m^2 of doxorubicin during their induction phase, or who have EKG changes since initiation of chemotherapy must have an EF of at least 45%. Patients with no history of cardiac disease, a normal EKG and no more than 250 mg/m^2 of doxorubicin are not required to have an EF measurement.
6) Provision of written informed consent.
7) Women of childbearing potential must be willing to practice acceptable methods of birth control to prevent pregnancy.
8) Males taking ZD1839 must also use birth control while taking the drug to avoid pregnancy in their partner.
9) International normalized ratio (INR) elevations, bleeding, or both events have been reported in some patients taking warfarin. Patients taking warfarin with a target INR of > or = 2, should be monitored regularly (every week in the first cycle, with further monitoring based on the experience in the first cycle) for changes in prothrombin time (PT) or INR. Patients on prophylactic low dose warfarin (ie: 1-2 mg qd for central line thrombosis prophylaxis) do not require frequent monitoring. |