title: Oral etoposide in elderly patients with advanced non small cell lung cancer: a clinical and pharmacological study.
abstract: Seventeen elderly patients with advanced progressive non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were treated with oral etoposide at the daily dose of 100 mg for 14 days every 3-4 weeks with pharmacokinetic monitoring. One partial response and 6 stabilizations were documented with a median overall duration of 13 weeks (range 8-32). The median survival was 24 weeks with an apparent advantage for non-progressive patients (40 weeks vs. 18 weeks). The treatment was well tolerated especially by those patients without concomitant illness, suggesting the crucial role of a careful selection of the geriatric population. Toxicity was not related to the etoposide plasma level, but was clearly dependent on comorbidity. A geriatric assessment rather than chronological age therefore appears to be more reliable in the selection of elderly patients for clinical trials. The easy self-management, favorable toxicity profile and synergy with other compounds makes oral etoposide suitable for further clinical-pharmacological studies in elderly patients.
authors.affiliation: Medical Department, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico, Aviano, Italy. rsorio@cro.it
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sorio
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Toffoli
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Crivellari
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bearz
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Corona
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Colussi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Libra
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Talamini
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Veronesi
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D005047:Etoposide / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000556:secondary; D008297:Male; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D005047:Etoposide