A phase II study of weekly alternating chemotherapy in extensive-stage small cell lung cancer

Despite the recent development of new chemotherapeutic agents with activity in small cell lung cancer (SCLC), the long-term prognosis of patients with extensive-stage disease remains poor and has not improved in the past 20 years. The present study was designed to evaluate the activity and toxicity of weekly, alternating-regimen chemotherapy in patients with extensive-stage SCLC. Patients with previously untreated extensive-stage SCLC and performance status 0-2 were treated with cyclophosphamide 250 mg/m2, etoposide 100 mg/m2, and cisplatin 50 mg/m2 on day 1; vincristine 1 mg/m2 on day 8; and ifosfamide 1.2 gm/m2 on days 8 and 9 with the entire treatment repeated every 14 days. Eighteen patients received chemotherapy for a median of 14 weeks (range, 1-35 weeks). Seventeen patients (94%) required dose delays and 16 patients (89%) required at least one dose reduction due to toxicity. Twelve patients (67%) exhibited an objective response (1 complete response, 11 partial response) with a median duration of response of 18 weeks (range, 8-32 weeks). Median survival was 33 weeks (range, 1-57 weeks) with a 1-year survival rate of 22%. Toxicity was primarily hematologic, including grade 3-4 leukopenia (82% of patients) and anemia (53% of patients). Only 2 patients developed grade 3 peripheral neuropathy and none exhibited grade 3-4 renal insufficiency. This regimen of weekly alternating combination chemotherapy resulted in tolerable toxicity as well as response and survival rates comparable to those achieved with standard chemotherapy in patients with extensive-stage SCLC. However, weekly chemotherapy regimens for the treatment of SCLC remain investigational.