Adjuvant chemotherapy for large cell carcinoma with neuroendocrine features

BACKGROUND. In 1999, the World Health Organization categorized large cell n euroendocrine carcinoma, large cell carcinoma with neuroendocrine different iation, and large cell carcinoma with neuroendocrine morphology as a varian t of large cell carcinoma. Patients with large cell carcinoma vith neuroend ocrine features have poor prognoses, comparable to those for small cell lun g carcinoma. Small cell lung carcinoma is sensitive to chemotherapy; howeve r, it is still unclear whether large cell carcinoma with neuroendocrine fea tures is responsive to adjuvant chemotherapy. METHODS. The authors analyzed 73 patients with large cell carcinoma with ne uroendocrine features who underwent resection of the tumor and studied the effect Chiba, Japan. of adjuvant chemotherapy for large cell carcinoma with neuroendocrine features. RESULTS. in patients with Stage I disease, the overall survival for patient s with cer Research, Chiba University School of Medicine, adjuvant chemothe rapy based on cisplatin, carboplatin, or cyclophosphamide, Chiba, Japan. wh ich were used as standard chemotherapy for small cell lung carcinoma, were significantly higher than the overall survival for patients without adjuvan t chemotherapy. In patients with Stage II, III, and IV disease, there was n o significant difference between patients with adjuvant chemotherapy and wi thout adjuvant chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS. Adjuvant chemotherapy based on cisplatin, carboplatin, or cycl ophosphamide prolongs survival of patients with large cell carcinoma vith n euroendocrine features in early stage. (C) 2001 American Cancer Society.