A phase II study of cyclophosphamide as a 24-hr infusion in advanced non-small cell lung cancer

Twenty patients with progressive non-small cell lung cancer who had received no prior chemotherapy were treated with 24-hr infusions of cyclophosphamide at a dose of 2.5 g/m2. The median number of courses administered was three (range one to six). There was one PR and one CR, an overall response rate of 10% (95% confidence limits 2-32%). A further six patients experienced excellent relief of distressing symptoms, unresponsive to other measures, as a result of the chemotherapy. The median survival for the 20 patients was 18.5 weeks (range 4-75 weeks). The median leukocyte nadir count was 1.1 X 10(9)/1 and median platelet nadir count 226 X 10(9)/1. There were no episodes of cystitis and gastrointestinal toxicity was moderate. This study has not shown any advantage for the infusion schedule over conventional bolus regimens, but further dose escalation or more prolonged infusion times may improve results.