Results of a phase II trial of gemcitabine in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer and a performance status of 2.
This trial was designed to determine the 1-year survival rate, efficacy, progression-free survival (PFS), and toxicity with gemcitabine in patients with stage IIIB (with pleural effusion) or stage IV non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status (PS) of 2. Gemcitabine 1250 mg/m2 was administered intravenously on days 1 and 8 of each 21-day cycle. Treatment consisted of 6 cycles; patients who responded with complete response or partial response received < or = 2 additional cycles. Forty-two patients were enrolled at 31 community-based centers between March and November 2002. Most patients had stage IV disease (74%). The median age was 73 years (range, 58-84 years), and 19% had received prior palliative radiation therapy. Patients received a median of 3 cycles (range, 1-8 cycles). The median survival was 4.8 months (range, < 1 to 19.2 months), and the estimated 1-year survival was 20%. Median PFS was 2.5 months (range, < 1 to 19.2 months), and PFS at 1 year was 11.1%. Thirty-one patients died of disease progression, and 1 each died of myocardial infarction, brain herniation, pneumonia, and respiratory failure. Seven patients were not evaluable for response; 4 refused or received no treatment, treatment in 2 failed (myocardial infarction and pneumonia), and 1 was lost to follow-up. Among 35 evaluable patients, there were 5 partial responses (14%), 10 with stable disease (29%), and 20 with disease progression (57%). Drug-related grade > or = 3 toxicities included neutropenia (18%), anemia (8%), and dyspnea (2.6%). These results suggest that patients with NSCLC with an ECOG PS of 2 may benefit from single-agent chemotherapy gemcitabine. General toxicity, including myelotoxicity, was relatively low. Further studies comparing single-agent chemotherapy with combination chemotherapy for patients with a PS of 2 are warranted.
Neubauer
Marcus A
MA
US Oncology Research, Inc., Houston, TX, USA. marcus.neubauer@usoncology.com
Reynolds
Craig H
CH
Joppert
Marcos G
MG
Whitaker
Thomas
T
Ghaddar
Habib
H
Marsland
Thomas A
TA
Asmar
Lina
L
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D003841:Deoxycytidine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012264:Ribonucleotide Reductases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D000093542:Gemcitabine
D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; D003841:Deoxycytidine; D012264:Ribonucleotide Reductases; D000093542:Gemcitabine