[Adriamycin, cisplatin, and etoposide combination chemotherapy for small cell lung cancer]

Twenty-three patients with small cell lung cancer (11 with limited disease and 12 with extensive disease) who had not received previous chemotherapy were treated with a combination of adriamycin (30 mg/m2, i.v., on day 1), cisplatin (80 mg/m2, i.v., on day 1) and etoposide (70 mg/m2, i.v., on day 1-5). This chemotherapy regimen was repeated at 3- or 4-week intervals for 3 to 5 treatment cycles. Among 22 evaluable patients, 5 showed complete response and 17 had a partial response (response rate 100%). The median response duration of 12 extensive disease patients was 21 months. There were 5 survivors for more than 2 years. Toxicity included moderate to severe hematologic toxicity, alopecia, nausea and vomiting. This combination chemotherapy appears to be optimal for the treatment of small cell lung cancer.