title: Two- versus three-drug combinations in the chemotherapy of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.
abstract: Palliative chemotherapy with three-drug combinations might result in higher efficacy but also enhanced toxicity when compared with two-drug combinations. Italian trials suggested the superiority of cisplatin/gemcitabine/vinorelbine and cisplatin/gemcitabine/paclitaxel over corresponding two-drug combinations. However, a Spanish trial failed to demonstrate an advantage of cisplatin/gemcitabine/vinorelbine over cisplatin/gemcitabine and another multicenter phase III trial did not find differences in response rates and survival between cisplatin/vinorelbine/ifosfamide and cisplatin/vinorelbine. Thus three-drug combinations have not convincingly been demonstrated to be superior to two-drug combinations and should not be considered as standard protocols in advanced NSCLC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine I, University of Vienna Medical School, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pirker
mesh_terms: D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003841:Deoxycytidine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D004357:Drug Synergism; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D015996:Survival Rate; D014747:Vinblastine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D000077235:Vinorelbine; D000093542:Gemcitabine
chemical_list: D003841:Deoxycytidine; D014747:Vinblastine; D002945:Cisplatin; D000077235:Vinorelbine; D000093542:Gemcitabine