Pilot study of vinorelbine (navelbine) and paclitaxel in patients with refractory non-small cell lung cancer

Eighteen patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer were treated with a combination of intravenous vinorelbine (Navelbine; Burroughs Wellcome Co, Research Triangle Park, NC; Pierre Fabre Medicament, Paris, France) 25 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8 and intravenous paclitaxel 175 mg/m2 on day 2 every 3 weeks. All patients were given granulocyte colony-stimulating factor 5 micrograms/kg/d subcutaneously on days 3 through 7 and 9 through 17 or until the absolute neutrophil count reached 10 x 10(9)/L or higher. One patient was enrolled in this study too recently to be assessed. The mean age of the remaining 17 patients was 59 years (age range, 33 to 75 years); all but one patient had refractory disease, mostly to cisplatin-containing regimens. Four patients were ineligible (two because of poor performance status and two because of previous exposure to vinblastine). Three partial responses were observed, with durations of 46, 64, and 140+ days. Four patients had stable disease and four had progressive disease. The most common side effect was neutropenia (five grade 4 and one grade 3); two patients died of leukopenic sepsis in the first cycle. Peripheral neuropathy was also common (four grade 1 and one grade 2 sensory neuropathy). Other toxic effects were anemia and nausea and vomiting. The median survival was 153 days in all patients and 179 days in eligible patients. The preliminary results in this ongoing study of combination vinorelbine and paclitaxel as second-line therapy for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer are promising, and using this regimen as first-line therapy is warranted.