R. Arriagada et al., INITIAL CHEMOTHERAPEUTIC DOSES AND SURVIVAL IN PATIENTS WITH LIMITED SMALL-CELL LUNG-CANCER, The New England journal of medicine, 329(25), 1993, pp. 1848-1852
Background. Moderate increases in the initial doses of certain chemoth
erapeutic drugs, such as cisplatin and cyclophosphamide, may prolong o
verall survival in patients with limited small-cell lung cancer. Metho
ds. We conducted a prospective study of 105 patients with limited smal
l-cell lung cancer. The patients were randomly assigned to receive hig
her or lower initial doses of cisplatin (100 or 80 mg per square meter
of body-surface area) and cyclophosphamide (300 or 225 mg per square
meter daily for four days); all patients received the same doses of do
xorubicin and etoposide. The first course of chemotherapy was followed
by five additional courses and by three courses of radiotherapy. All
patients received the lower doses of cisplatin and cyclophosphamide an
d the same doses of doxorubicin and etoposide from the second through
the sixth cycle of chemotherapy. Results. The median follow-up was 33
months. The two-year survival rate for the 55 patients who received th
e higher doses of chemotherapy was 43 percent, as compared with 26 per
cent for the 50 patients who received the lower doses (P = 0.02). The
rates of complete response at six months were 67 percent in the higher
-dose group and 54 percent in the lower-dose group (P = 0.16). Disease
-free survival at two years was 28 percent in the higher-dose group, a
s compared with 8 percent in the lower-dose group (P = 0.02). Side eff
ects from treatment were not increased in the higher-dose group. Concl
usions. Higher initial doses of cyclophosphamide and cisplatin improve
disease-free and overall survival in patients with limited small-cell
lung cancer.