Randomized phase III trial of dose-dense chemotherapy supported by whole-blood hematopoietic progenitors in better-prognosis small-cell lung cancer.
BACKGROUND
Recent dose-intensity studies of small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) have yielded conflicting results. We carried out a phase III randomized trial in patients with better-prognosis SCLC (i.e., prognostic score of 0-1) to investigate whether doubling the dose density of ifosfamide, carboplatin, and etoposide (ICE) chemotherapy with filgrastim and blood-progenitor-cell support improves survival, compared with standard ICE chemotherapy.


METHODS
We studied 318 patients with pathologically proven SCLC who were randomly assigned to receive six cycles of ICE chemotherapy with a 4-week (standard arm) or 2-week (dose-dense arm) interval between cycles. Patients in the dose-dense arm received filgrastim subcutaneously daily on days 4 through 14 and had autologous blood collected before cycles 2 through 6, which was returned 24 hours after treatment. Toxicities, including hematologic toxicity and incidence of neutropenic sepsis, were monitored. Survival was calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method. All statistical tests were two-sided.


RESULTS
The delivered median dose intensity was 99% (interquartile range = 96%-100%) for the standard arm and 182% (interquartile range = 163%-196%) for the dose-dense arm. After a median follow-up of 14 months, overall response to treatment was observed in 118 (80%) of the 148 evaluable patients in the standard arm and in 129 (88%) of the 147 evaluable patients in the dose-dense arm, a statistically non-significant difference. Median overall survival was 13.9 months (95% confidence interval [CI] = 12.9 to 15.8 months) in the standard arm and 14.4 months (95% CI = 12.7 to 16.0) in the dose-dense arm, and the 2-year survival was 22% (95% CI = 16% to 29%) and 19% (95% CI = 14% to 27%), respectively--neither difference being statistically significant. The median treatment free time was 286 days (95% CI = 229 to 343 days) for the standard arm and 367 days (95% CI = 321 to 413 days) for the dose-dense arm (difference = 81 days; P = .109). Statistically significantly more hematologic toxicity was reported in the dose-dense arm than in the standard arm, but the number of cycles complicated by neutropenic sepsis was statistically significantly higher in the standard arm than in the dose-dense arm (15.3% versus 11.6%, respectively; difference = 3.7%, 95% CI = -4.1% to 11.5%; P = .03).


CONCLUSIONS
Dose-dense ICE chemotherapy for SCLC led to shorter treatment duration and less neutropenic sepsis than did standard ICE but did not improve overall survival.
Lorigan
Paul
P
Weston Park Hospital, Sheffield, UK. paul.lorigan@manchester.ac.uk
Woll
Penella J
PJ
O'Brien
M E R
ME
Ashcroft
Linda F
LF
Sampson
Mark R
MR
Thatcher
Nick
N
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016190:Carboplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005047:Etoposide / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D000069585:Filgrastim; D016179:Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells; D006801:Humans; D007069:Ifosfamide / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D015994:Incidence; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009503:Neutropenia / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011379:Prognosis; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D016179:Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor; D005047:Etoposide; D016190:Carboplatin; D000069585:Filgrastim; D007069:Ifosfamide