Feasibility Study of Adjuvant Chemotherapy with Carboplatin and Nab-Paclitaxel for Completely Resected NSCLC

Adjuvant chemotherapy with cisplatin (CDDP) plus vinorelbine is the standard regimen for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, CDDP elicits severe toxic effects, including emesis, neurotoxicity, and renal damage; carboplatin (CBDCA) may be a feasible alternative for CDDP-unfit patients. CBDCA plus paclitaxel (PTX) adjuvant chemotherapy showed a survival benefit for patients with stage IB tumors >4 cm in size, while CBDCA plus nanoparticle albumin-bound (nab)-PTX showed greater efficacy and lower neurotoxicity than CBDCA plus PTX in advanced NSCLC. Here, we investigated the feasibility of using CBDCA plus nab-PTX as adjuvant chemotherapy for NSCLC.

Patients with completely resected stage II or III NSCLC, with an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0-1 and adequate kidney function, received four cycles of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy with CBDCA (AUC=5 mg/mL/min, on day 1) and nab-PTX (100 mg/m², on days 1, 8, and 15) administered every 4 weeks within 8 weeks after surgery. The study was designed as a prospective, single-center, Phase II study. The primary endpoint was the completion rate of chemotherapy; secondary endpoints were two-year relapse-free survival (RFS) and safety. The expected completion rate was 80%, with a 50% lower limit.

Of 21 enrolled patients, 18 (85.7%) were CDDP-unfit owing to age (≥75 years old [n=11, 52.4%]) or mild renal impairment (n=7, 33.3%). Nineteen of the 21 enrolled patients were assigned to the intervention. The most common grade 3 or 4 adverse events were neutropenia (n=15, 78.9%) and anemia (n=3, 15.8%). The completion rate for the four cycles was 63.2% (95% CI, 38.4-83.7). Two-year RFS was 56.8% (95% CI, 29.7-76.9).

The completion rate for CBDCA plus nab-PTX as adjuvant chemotherapy for CDDP-unfit NSCLC patients did not reach treatment feasibility. Further dose modifications may be required in future studies.