Patient with extensive small cell lung cancer given moderately dose-intensified chemotherapy and peripheral blood...

Although recent progress in multi-drug chemotherapy has increased the median survival of patients with extensive Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) to 7 months, 2-year survivors are still exceptional. We describe a 40-year-old man with extensive SCLC involving the lungs and systemic nodes who was initially treated with 6 cycles of an alternating combination regimen consisting of cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, cisplatin and etoposide. After the second cycle of the regimen, Peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) were harvested and frozen. The patient then received a moderately dose-intensified regimen consisting of cisplatin (80 mg/m2) and etoposide (500 mg/m2 X 3), followed by infusion of the thawed PBSC. Hematopoietic recovery was rapid, and the patient remained tumor free for 12 months until multiple tumor recurrence.