Combination chemotherapy with doxorubicin and mitomycin C in non-small cell bronchogenic carcinoma. Severe pulmonary toxicity from q 3 weekly mitomycin C.
Forty-five patients with advanced, measurable, or evaluable non-small bronchogenic carcinoma (NSCBC) were treated with doxorubicin and mitomycin C combination chemotherapy. The first 27 patients received doxorubicin 50 mg/m2 I.V. every 3 weeks and mitomycin C 10 mg/m2 I.V. every 3 weeks. Because of severe cardiopulmonary toxicity in seven patients, with four otherwise unexplained deaths, the next 18 patients were treated with the mitomycin C dose reduced to 10 mg/m2 every 6 weeks. Overall, 11 patients (25%) responded, with one complete and 10 partial remissions. Eight responses (30%) were observed in the patients who received mitomycin C every 3 weeks and three responses (17%) were found in those given mitomycin C every 6 weeks (p less than 0.5), with no cardiopulmonary toxicity in the latter group. The median survival was 21 weeks for the entire group of patients, with the group receiving mitomycin C every 3 weeks living a median of 15.5 weeks and those given mitomycin C every 6 weeks surviving 35.5 weeks (p less than 0.025). We conclude that there is a higher tumor response rate but more cardiopulmonary toxicity and shorter survival among the group receiving mitomycin C every 3 weeks compared to those receiving mitomycin C every 6 weeks. Future studies should consider this toxicity of mitomycin C administered on an every-3-week schedule.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000187:drug effects; D002283:Carcinoma, Bronchogenic / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000187:drug effects; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced*; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016685:Mitomycin; D008937:Mitomycins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*
D008937:Mitomycins; D016685:Mitomycin; D004317:Doxorubicin