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Updated: Jun 10, 2026
Endobronchial Ultrasound-guided Intratumoral Injection of Cisplatin for the Treatment of Isolated Mediastinal Recurrence of Lung Cancer
Published on: February 12, 2017
Phase III study comparing sequential versus alternate administration of cisplatin-etoposide and topotecan as
Sophia Baka1, Sophia Agelaki, Athanasios Kotsakis
1Hellenic Oncology Research Group (HORG), 55 Lomvardou Str, 11470, Athens, Greece.
Aim:
To compare the efficacy and tolerance of sequential versus alternate front-line administration of cisplatin-etoposide (PE) and topotecan (T) in patients with extensive stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC).
Patients And Methods:
Patients were randomized to receive either 4 cycles PE (cisplatin 80 mg/m(2) i.v. day 1 and etoposide100 mg/m(2)/d i.v. days 1-3 every 21 days) followed by 4 cycles T (1.5 mg/m(2)/d i.v. days 1-5 every 21 days) (arm A, 183 patients) or the same regimens using an alternate sequence (arm B, 181 patients).
Results:
There was no significant difference in terms of compliance with treatment, overall response rates (51.4% vs. 55.2%; p=0.458), median response duration (4.3 vs. 5.2 months; p=0.780), median time to tumour progression (5.7 vs. 6.4 months; p=0.494), median overall survival (10.9 vs. 9.8 months; p=0.186) and 1-year survival (43.8% vs. 36.5%) between the two arms. The incidence of severe grade 3-4 haematological and grade 2-4 non-haematological (asthenia, mucositis, diarrhoea and neurotoxicity) toxicity was comparable between the two arms.
Conclusion:
The comparison of sequential versus alternate administration of cisplatin-etoposide and topotecan as front-line treatment of patients with extensive stage SCLC revealed no clinically meaningful differences in terms of efficacy and tolerance.
