Treatment of small cell carcinoma of the lung with COPP

The COPP regimen (cyclophosphamide, Oncovin, procarbazine, prednisone) was one of the first chemotherapy programs to prolong survival in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) significantly. Results with this regimen in 50 patients with SCLC show an overall median survival of 10 months. Survival was decreased with more extensive disease. Patients given COPP plus irradiation to the primary lesion lived longer than those given COPP alone, but this difference was not statistically significant. Toxicity was relatively mild. The COPP regimen can be considered, especially in advanced SCLC, if coexisting cardiac or renal disease precludes the use of agents toxic to these organs.