Combination chemotherapy for non small cell lung cancer stage III M0-1 with cisplatin and vinblastine in a divided-dose schedule

Twenty-nine patients with advanced non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were treated with a combination of high-dose cisplatin and divided-dose vinblastine. In 27 evaluable patients 15% reached partial response and 59% stable disease. Extension of disease, histological type, performance status and weight loss had no relationship to response. Median duration of response was 10.2 months with a median survival time of 15.4 months in responding patients compared with 14 months of stable disease (p:n.s.) and 4.8 months of progressive disease (p less than 0.001). Gastrointestinal, neurological side effects and the development of a severe debilitation syndrome were the most troublesome toxicities of this treatment. The regimen is not generally suitable for treatment of advanced NSCLC.