Forty-six evaluable patients with recurrent small-cell lung cancer were entered on a phase II Hoosier Oncology Group (HOG) protocol evaluating bolus doxorubicin 40 mg/m2 followed by paclitaxel 175 mg/m2 over 3 hours. Courses were repeated every 3 weeks for a maximum of 6 courses. Therapy was well-tolerated with grade III neurotoxicity in 5 patients (11%), grade III/IV emesis in 5 (11%), and grade III mucositis in 2 patients. One patient had grade IV myalgias and one patient had grade III cardiotoxicity. The main toxicity was myelosuppression. Twenty-nine patients (63%) had grade IV and 8 (17%) grade III granulocytopenia. Nine patients (20%) were hospitalized for granulocytopenic fever. There was no treatment-related mortality. Nineteen of 46 patients (41%) had an objective response, including 3 complete remissions. Two of 14 patients with refractory disease (progression less than 3 months after initial therapy) responded, compared to 17 of 32 (52%) with sensitive disease (progression beyond 3 months of initial chemotherapy regimen).
From the Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Indiana University Medical Center (G.S., L.H.I.), Indianapolis, Indiana; Michiana Oncology Associates (R.A.), South Bend, Indiana; Ball Memorial Hospital (P.W.), Muncie, Indiana; Fort Wayne Medical Oncology/Hematology (D.F.S., T.G.), Fort Wayne, Indiana; Galesburg Clinic (A.M.), Galesburg, Illinois; Department of Medicine, Division of Biostatistics, Indiana University Medical Center (R.G.), Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.A.
Supported in part by the National Cancer Institute Grant 2R 35 CA 39844-14, the Hoosier Oncology Group and the Walther Cancer Institute, Indianapolis, Indiana.
Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Lawrence H. Einhorn, Hoosier Oncology Group, 3202 North Meridian Street, Indianapolis, IN 46208-4646, U.S.A.
Presented in part at the 34th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, May 16-19, 1998, Los Angeles, California.
