[Outpatient chemotherapy for advanced lung cancer]

We reviewed the records of outpatient chemotherapy for advanced lung cancer in our institution. Thirty-two patients received 122 courses of cisplatin-free chemotherapy as outpatient treatments. Before outpatient treatment, every patient received the first chemotherapy as an inpatient treatment and the dose of cytotoxic drugs was reduced accordingly when side effects were judged to be untolerable. Only 1 patient needed hospitalization because of pneumonia with grade IV neutropenia. The overall response included partial responses (PR) 18%, no change (NC) 55%, progressive disease (PR) 11% and the median survival from the start of outpatient chemotherapy was 384 days. The monthly average cost of medical care per inpatient was more than three times as high as that of outpatients. Cisplatin-free chemotherapy for advanced lung cancer should be given as outpatient treatment not only to maintain the quality of life of patients, but also to restrain the total cost of medical care and to use hospital beds efficiently.