Combination paclitaxel and platinum in the treatment of lung cancer: US experience

Despite marked improvements in the treatment options available for patients with lung cancers, more than 85% of patients ultimately relapse and die of their disease. Among the most auspicious of new agents available to treat lung cancers, paclitaxel (Taxol; Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, NJ) also has been the most extensively studied. The US experience with this promising new agent is reviewed here. It is concluded that paclitaxel, both as a single agent and in combination therapies, is as active as other available agents in the treatment of stages III and IV small cell and non-small cell lung cancer, whether given as a 24- or a 1- to 3-hour infusion. In combination therapy, paclitaxel/cisplatin has been shown to be superior to etoposide/cisplatin in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer. Further study is needed to clarify the optimal role of paclitaxel in combination therapy and to define its optimal dose and schedule in therapy for lung cancers.