title: Low-dose weekly paclitaxel as second-line treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer: a phase II study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the activity and toxicity of low-dose weekly paclitaxel in patients with non-resectable or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and who had disease recurrence or failure with previous chemotherapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty patients with NSCLC previously treated with platinum-based chemotherapy received weekly paclitaxel 80 mg/m(2) as a 1 h infusion. The median age was 63 years (range 42-77 years); 25 patients had Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (PS) 1 and 15 had PS 2. Thirty-one patients had stage IV disease and nine stage III (eight stage IIIB and one stage IIIA).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 364 weeks of treatment were administered (median 8 weeks, range 2-17 weeks). There were no episodes of grade 3 or 4 haematological toxicities. Severe non-haematological toxicity was uncommon: grade 1-2 asthenia in 50%; grade 1-2 motor neuropathy in 45% and grade 3 in 10%; grade 1-2 sensory neuropathy in 62% of patients. Alopecia was mild. The overall response rate was 37.5% (95% CI, 23.9-55): 2 CR, 13 PR, 15 SD, 8 PD, 2 NE. Median overall survival was 9.7 months (95% CI, 6.5-12.8). Median time to progression was 5.4 months (95% CI, 1.8-8.9).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A low-dose weekly paclitaxel regimen had good clinical efficacy with low toxicity in this group of patients with poor prognosis. This regimen increases the therapeutic options available for second-line therapy in NSCLC patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Hospital Arnau de Vilanova, Valencia, Spain. juan_osc@gva.es
authors.forename: Oscar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Juan
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Albert
authors.forename: Fermín
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ordoño
authors.forename: Rosa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Casany
authors.forename: Vicente
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Carañana
authors.forename: Juan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Campos
authors.forename: Vicente
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Alberola
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017239:Paclitaxel / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D011379:Prognosis; D016879:Salvage Therapy; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D017239:Paclitaxel