title: Docetaxel monotherapy as second-line treatment for pretreated advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Second-line chemotherapy offers advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients a small, but significant increase in survival. Docetaxel is usually administered as a 3-week schedule, yet there is significant toxicity with this therapy. Therefore, a weekly schedule has been explored in several previous trials. In this retrospective study, we compared the efficacy and safety of a weekly schedule and a 3-week schedule of docetaxel monotherapy in a second-line setting.
  
  
  METHODS
  Docetaxel was administered as 75 mg/m2 on day 1 every 3 weeks or as 37.5 mg/m2 on day 1 and 8 every 3 weeks until disease progression or severe toxicity developed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  From October 2003 to March 2006, a total of 37 patients received docetaxel monotherapy and 36 patients could be evaluated. A total of 135 cycles were administered and then evaluated. The median overall survival was 13.3 months (95% confidence interval: 6.3-20.3) for the weekly schedule and 10.7 months (95% confidence interval: 8.3-13.0) for the 3-week schedule (p=0.41). The median time to progression was 3.0 months (95% confidence interval: 1.9-4.0) and 2.8 months (95% confidence interval: 1.0-4.6), respectively (p=0.41). The response rate was 16.7% for the weekly schedule and 21.1% for the 3-week schedule. The major form of hematologic toxicity was grade 3-4 neutropenia (3-week: 38.9%, weekly: 9.5%). The non-hematologic toxicities were similar between the two schedules. There were no treatment-related deaths.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A docetaxel weekly schedule was very tolerable and it had comparable activity to that of the 3-week docetaxel schedule. Considering the efficacy and tolerability, a docetaxel weekly schedule can be an alternative schedule for the standard treatment of NSCLC in a second-line setting.
authors.affiliation: Lung Cancer Multidisciplinary Team of Kangnam St. Mary's Hospital, Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Yoon Ho
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.forename: Myung Ah
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Yeong Seon
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Kyung Shik
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Hyun Jin
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Ie Ryung
authors.initials: IeR
authors.lastname: Yoo
authors.forename: Yeon Sil
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Young Kyoon
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Keon Hyun
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Jo
authors.forename: Young Pil
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Kyo Young
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Jin Hyoung
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D000077143:Docetaxel; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D043823:Taxoids / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D043823:Taxoids; D000077143:Docetaxel