Platinum/etoposide therapy in non-small cell lung cancer

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a major health problem in the United States and in many other parts of the world. Identification of systemic therapy that can maintain or improve quality of life and prolong survival is essential because locally advanced disease or distant metastasis is found in the majority of these patients. A variety of combination regimens have produced response rates of 20% or greater in stage IV NSCLC patients in cooperative group trials, including studies conducted within the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG). Although no regimen has emerged as clearly superior, the highest 1-year survival rate (25%) in ECOG trials was observed in EP(etoposide/cisplatin)-treated patients. Subsequently, a randomized trial in which EP was compared to etoposide/carboplatin revealed no significant differences in survival or response rate, and toxicity was slightly less with etoposide/carboplatin. Results from recent phase II trials in which stage III NSCLC patients received preoperative EP and concurrent thoracic irradiation have shown response rates of 65-85%, as well as acceptable toxicity and surgical morbidity and mortality. Future stage IV NSCLC trials should include studies of platinum/etoposide plus new agents. Also a study comparing platinum/etoposide versus supportive care should be considered. The objectives of this study would be to compare survival, quality of life, and cost-effectiveness ratio. The results of recent phase II studies in stage III NSCLC patients suggest that preoperative cisplatin/etoposide and concurrent thoracic irradiation should be considered for evaluation in a phase III trial in stage IIIa NSCLC patients and that this regimen should also be evaluated in stage IIIb patients.