Combined chemotherapy for unresectable carcinoma of the lung: a randomized trial

A selected case file of 32 patients with carcinoma of the lung which had passed the stage of surgical cure was randomized in 3 arms and treated with different schedules: regimen A, adriamycin plus cyclophosphamide; regimen B, the BACON combination, slightly modified; regimen CVP, cyclophosphamide plus vincristine plus prednisone. Response rate and survival curves were analyzed. Statistical evaluation showed a significant increase in survival of B versus A, but not versus CVP, while other factors such as the initial performance status and the response rate seemed to have a marked influence on survival time. No significant correlation was observed with different histiotypes within each regimen. All three regimens compare favorably with patients who received only supportive treatment.