PURPOSE:

To evaluate efficacy and toxicity of a combination of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin and irinotecan in patients with refractory small-cell lung cancer.

PATIENTS AND METHODS:

Thirty-one patients with early relapse after first-line therapy with cisplatin/etoposide were treated with pegylated liposomal doxorubicin 15 mg/m(2) and irinotecan 125 mg/m(2) on days 1 and 15. Treatment was repeated every 28 days.

RESULTS:

A total of 144 chemotherapy courses were administered. All patients were evaluable for toxicity and twenty-six (84%) for response. Grade 3 neutropenia occurred in two (6.5%) patients and grade 1 thrombocytopenia in one (3.2%). Fatigue was the most frequent grade 3 non-hematologic toxicity and was observed in seven patients (23%). Four (12.9; 95% CI: 1.1-24.7%) patients achieved a partial response, and disease stabilization was observed in additional two (6.5%) patients (Tumor Growth Control: 19.4; 95% CI: 5.5-33.3%). The median TTP was 2.03 months, and the median survival time was 3.16 months.

CONCLUSIONS:

The combination of pegylated doxorubicin and irinotecan is very well tolerated but with modest activity in patients with refractory SCLC.

 

Xenidis N, Vardakis N, Varthalitis I, Giassas S, Kontopodis E, Ziras N, Gioulbasanis I, Samonis G, Kalbakis K, Georgoulias V.