PMID: 9427776Jan 15, 1998Paper

Combined chemotherapy and differentiation therapy in the treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer

Anticancer Research
F RecchiaL Frati

Abstract

In this phase-II pilot study a cisplatin-based treatment was combined with biological agents capable of inducing differentiation in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells with the aim of ameliorating response to chemotherapy. Forty patients (PTS) with inoperable stage III-B or IV NSCLC were treated with cisplatin (CDDP) 24 mg/m2 on days 1 to 5, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) 500 mg/m2, by continuous infusion on days 1 to 5 and vindesine (VDS) 3 mg/m2 on days 1 and 5. Beta-interferon (beta-IFN) 1 x 10(6) IU/m2 subcutaneously 3 times a week and retinyl palmitate (R) 50,000 IU orally BID were administered between chemotherapy cycles. Responders were maintained with the same dose of beta-IFN plus R 15,000 IU BID. Half of the PTS had an ECOG performance status of 0-1, 62% of tumours were of squamous histology and 77.5% of PTS had stage IV disease. A median of four courses of chemotherapy per PT was delivered. Forty PTS were evaluable. Seventeen PTS responded, (RR 42%, 95% C.I. 27%-57%). Of the 17 responders 13 had squamous histology. The median response duration was 5.1 months. The median overall survival was 9.1 months. Gastrointestinal toxicity occurred in 58% of PTS, anaemia in 20%, leukopenia in 30%. The association of CDDP, VDS, 5-FU,...Continue Reading

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