Albumin-bound paclitaxel for the treatment of refractory or relapsed small-cell lung cancer

Since nanoparticle albumin-bound (nab)-paclitaxel exerts clinically meaningful antitumor effects on various malignancies, including breast, gastric and non-small-cell lung cancer, we hypothesized that treatment with nab-paclitaxel may also be beneficial for patients with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). We herein evaluated the safety and efficacy of weekly, single-agent nab-paclitaxel in patients with refractory or relapsed SCLC. Between May, 2013 and February, 2015, 9 patients with refractory or relapsed SCLC were treated with single-agent nab-paclitaxel at the Kyoto University Hospital. The medical records of the patients were retrospectively reviewed. All the patients had been previously treated with ≥2 lines of chemotherapy prior to receiving nab-paclitaxel. The median number of cycles of nab-paclitaxel was 2 (range, 1-4) and 3 partial responses were observed (response rate: 33%). The toxicity was generally mild and manageable: Grade 3/4 adverse events were only observed in 1 patient (grade 3 leukopenia). Thus, weekly administration of nab-paclitaxel may be a viable treatment option in patients with refractory or relapsed SCLC. Considering that treatment options are quite limited in this patient population, further evaluation of this regimen may prove valuable in the clinical setting.