High-dose chemotherapy in small-cell lung cancer

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is highly sensitive both to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Given its high chemo sensitivity, even two decades ago, SCLC was one of the first malignancies deemed suitable for maximising the dose and dose intensity with the support of autologous bone marrow (ABMT). On the whole, results were disappointing and the procedure was practically abandoned. Nowadays some interest is again emerging due to improvements in supportive care, such as the availability of hematopoietic growth factors and the peripheral blood progenitor cells (PBPC). Data of 505 patients included in 26 studies were reviewed. About two thirds of these patients had LD (limited disease). Late intensification protocols were used in 311 patients who, however, represented only the 30% of the population initially given conventional chemotherapy. Of the patients not achieving complete remission (CR) after induction, high-dose induced a CR in 39% of the cases. The use of early intensification was reported in 8 studies including 194 patients. The CR rate was 51.5%. Overall, the probability of achieving the CR was 2-3 times higher in LD than in ED (extensive disease). Relapses occurred at the site of the primary in more than half of the cases, showing that the course of the disease was not modified by the use of high-dose chemotherapy. Toxic deaths occurred in 7% of the treated patients, without difference in the two treatment methods. Though the schedules were too variable to draw firm conclusions, the ICE (ifosfamide, carboplatin, etoposide) and the CBP (cyclophosphamide, cisplatin, carmustine) regimens apparently provided better results, with a 2-year survival rate of 30-50% in the LD subset. An european multicenter randomized trial is ongoing. At the present time high-dose chemotherapy is still to be considered experimental treatment, since major problems such as the selection of the patients, doses and timing of chemotherapy and radiotherapy remain unsolved.