Sequential therapy in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer with weekly paclitaxel followed by...

New effective therapies are needed to improve the outcome of patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The aim of this study was to assess the response rate and survival obtained with a sequential regimen of chemotherapy.

Patients with newly diagnosed stage IIIb-IV NSCLC were included. They all had measurable disease and a good performance status (0-2 in the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group scale). Chemotherapy consisted of weekly paclitaxel 150 mg/m2 x 6, followed two weeks later by cisplatin 100 mg/m2 on day 1, gemcitabine 1,000 mg/m2 on days 1 and 14, and vinorelbine 25 mg/m2 on days 1 and 14 (CGV). CGV was administered every 28 days for a maximum of six courses.

Fifty-two patients were included, 19 (37%) with stage IIIb and 33 (63%) with stage IV disease. After therapy with weekly paclitaxel. 29 partial responses were obtained (56%, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 38%-67%), whereas 15 patients had stable disease (29%) and eight had a progression (15%). After CGV, there were four complete remissions (8%) and 24 partial responses (46%), for an overall response rate of 54% (95% CI: 37%-65%). Eight patients had stable disease (15%) and 16 had a progression (31%). No patient progressing after paclitaxel responded to CGV, whereas 5 out of 15 patients with stable disease reached a partial response with CGV (33%). On the contrary, 5 out of 29 patients with a partial response to paclitaxel progressed after CGV (17%). Median survival has not been reached after a median follow-up of 14 months. Median time to progression was nine months. Fifty-six percent of patients remain alive at one year. Two hundred eighty-nine courses of paclitaxel and 170 of CGV were given, with a median of 5.5 and 3.4 per patient, respectively (ranges 2-6 and 0-6. respectively). WHO grade 3-4 toxicities for paclitaxel were: neutropenia in two patients (4/) and peripheral neuropathy in five (10%). Two patients had allergic reactions requiring paclitaxel withdrawal, whereas four (8%) had hyperglycemia >250 mg/ml. Grade 3-4 toxicities for CGV were: neutropenia in ten patients (20%), peripheral neuropathy in six (12%), anemia in four (8%), nausea/vomiting in five (10%). thrombocytopenia in two (4%), and fatigue in four (8%).

Our results suggest that sequential chemotherapy with weekly paclitaxel followed by CGV is highly active in patients with advanced NSCLC and has an acceptable toxicity. This schedule deserves further evaluation in a phase III study.