title: Paclitaxel and carboplatin in early phase studies: Roswell Park Cancer Institute experience in the subset of patients with lung cancer.
abstract: The combination of paclitaxel (Taxol; Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, NJ) given by 3-hour infusion followed by carboplatin infused over 30 minutes has been evaluated in a series of phase I studies and is currently being explored in a phase II study in patients with limited- and extensive-stage small cell lung cancer. Pharmacokinetic measurements were performed at all dose levels in the phase I studies, in which the use of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor in previously treated patients enabled more than twice the dose of paclitaxel to be given with low to moderate doses of carboplatin (dosed to a target area under the concentration-time curve of 4.0 mg x min x mL[-1]). Treatment-naive patients tolerated high paclitaxel doses (270 mg/m2) with carboplatin (dosed to a target area under the curve of 4.5 mg x min x mL[-1]) without granulocyte colony-stimulating factor support. Twenty-three patients (including previously treated and untreated) with non-small cell lung cancer were entered at a variety of paclitaxel doses in the phase I studies. At 100 to 205 mg/m2 paclitaxel, none of nine treated patients responded; at 230 to 290 mg/m2, four (29%) of 14 responded. In the phase II study of paclitaxel 250 mg/m2 in previously untreated patients with small cell lung cancer, two of five evaluable patients with extensive-stage disease have shown a partial response. In a preliminary analysis of the pharmacodynamics of paclitaxel in relation to neurotoxicity (dose limiting in two of three phase I studies), neurotoxicity correlated with the total dose of paclitaxel, the area under the curve, and the peak paclitaxel concentration, but not with the length of time plasma paclitaxel levels remained above 0.05 micromol/L. These correlations were not strong, however, and analysis of these data is ongoing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Investigational Therapeutics, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA.
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Creaven
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Raghavan
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pendyala
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Loewen
authors.forename: H L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Kindler
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Berghorn
mesh_terms: D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016190:Carboplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000188:drug therapy*; D017321:Clinical Trials, Phase I as Topic; D017322:Clinical Trials, Phase II as Topic; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D017239:Paclitaxel / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics
chemical_list: D016190:Carboplatin; D017239:Paclitaxel