Mitomycin, ifosfamide, cisplatin for non-small cell lung cancer: an implementation study

The MIP regimen (mitomycin, ifosfamide, cisplatin) demonstrated its effectiveness as first-line chemotherapy in phase II and III trials in NSCLC. We aimed to determine whether these results could be confirmed in a hospital population.

Between 1987 and 2004, 204 patients with NSCLC received MIP in our institution. Patients treated in and off trials received the same combination of cisplatin (50 mg/m2), ifosfamide (3 g/m2) and mitomycin C (6 mg/m2) every three weeks and were staged and followed in a similar way.

Response rates for patients treated in or outside trials were 36.8% and 40.7%, respectively. After multiple logistic regressions, the only statistically significant factor predicting objective response was stage. The median survival time was 54.6 and 43.7 weeks respectively for patients treated in and outside trials. In multivariate analysis, four factors were statistically significantly associated with better survival: good performance status (p = 0.003), normal LDH value (p < 0.001), early stage (p = 0.01) and active smoking (p = 0.03).

Participation in a clinical trial was not associated with a significant difference in efficacy. This implementation study thus confirms the activity of the MIP regimen when used in the routine management of patients with NSCLC.