Combination chemotherapy with adriamycin and cis-diamminedichloroplatinum in patients with neoplastic diseases

Forty-eight patients with a variety of advanced solid tumors were treated with a combination of adriamycin 50 mg/m2, and cis-diamminedichloroplatinum 50 mg/m2, every 2 to 4 weeks. Fifteen patients responded with a greater than 50% regression of measurable tumor; six with lung cancer; one, carcinoma of the breast; one, ovary; one, cervix; one, prostate; one, testis; one, maxillary sinus; and one, salivary gland, plus one patient with chemodectoma and one with adenocarcinoma of unknown primary. Responses lasted 1 to 18 months, with a median of 6 months. An additional six patients, including two with adenocarcinoma of the lung three with carcinoma of the cervix, and one with embryonal cell testicular carcinoma improved (25-50% regression of the tumor). Toxicity encountered included myelosuppression, azotemia, alopecia, nausea, vomitting, and stomatitis. Severe hematologic toxicity occurred only in those with compromised marrow function or with concurrent active hepatitis. Major potentiation of toxicity by the combination does not appear to have occurred.