[Chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression and treatment efficacy in extensive-stage small cell lung cancer]

We examined the association between chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression and prognosis in extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ED SCLC). We retrospectively analysed 91 patients with ED SCLC who received a combination of cisplatin or carboplatin, etoposide or irinotecan between November 1995 and December 2007. Patients were categorized into two groups (grade 0 to 2 or grade 3 to 4) according to the worst neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, or anemia during first-line chemotherapy and were analysed for overall survival (OS) and time to progression (TTP). By univariate analysis, OS and TTP were significantly better in patients who developed grade 3 to 4 neutropenia than those who developed grade 0 to 2. Additionally, performance status (PS), LDH (lactate dehydrogenase), and neuron-specific enolase were prognostic factors for OS. By multivariate analysis, PS was an independent prognostic factor for OS. There were no independent prognostic factors for TTP. Myelosuppression during chemotherapy is not a prognostic factor in ED SCLC.