How many chemotherapy sessions with gemcitabine constitute one treatment course?

Gemcitabine is typically administered in a treatment cycle consisting of six chemotherapy sessions.

Gemcitabine is a chemotherapeutic agent primarily used to treat locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer and locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer. When combined with paclitaxel, gemcitabine can be used to treat recurrent, unresectable locally recurrent disease after adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

In the treatment of breast cancer, cholangiocarcinoma, pancreatic cancer, and non-small cell lung cancer, gemcitabine chemotherapy generally requires six cycles. The main adverse effect of gemcitabine is bone marrow suppression, which may lead to thrombocytopenia. For elderly patients or those with poor blood counts, shark liver alcohol tablets (batilol) or Lijun tablets may be taken orally under medical supervision as preventive measures. In some patients, anti-platelet antibodies present in the bloodstream or immune reactions induced by gemcitabine may render platelet-increasing drugs or platelet transfusions ineffective; in such cases, glucocorticoid therapy may be used, including medications such as hydrocortisone tablets or cortisone tablets, taken under a physician's guidance.

During chemotherapy, if a patient experiences intolerable side effects, adjustments to drug dosage and treatment schedule are necessary. Further chemotherapy cycles should only be considered after the patient’s nutritional status has recovered, liver function has normalized, and white blood cell counts have returned to normal levels.