Comparative chemotherapeutic efficacy in non-small cell lung cancer patients with postoperative recurrence and stage IV disease.
BACKGROUND
Whether chemotherapy would be equally effective in non-small cell lung cancer patients with stage IV disease (group A) and postoperative recurrence (group B) remains unclear.


METHODS
In a total of 642 non-small cell lung cancer patients with distant metastases treated by chemotherapy, the baseline patient characteristics, responses to chemotherapy and survival were compared between group A (n = 480) and group B (n = 162).


RESULTS
Adenocarcinoma was the predominant histologic type, accounting for 78% of the patients in group A and 90% of the patients in group B (p < 0.001). Bone and brain metastases were more common in group A (p = 0.034 and p = 0.014, respectively), although pulmonary metastases were more common in group B (p < 0.001). The chemotherapy regimens used for the treatment did not differ between groups A and B. The response rates in group A and group B were 32 and 33%, respectively (p = 0.65). In contrast, the median progression-free survival (5.5 versus 4.2 months, p = 0.0065) and overall survival (21.3 versus 13.3 months, p < 0.001) were better in group B than in group A.


CONCLUSIONS
Survival was superior in patients with postoperative recurrence than in those with stage IV disease, although the two groups showed comparable responses to chemotherapy.
Sekine
Ikuo
I
Division of Internal Medicine and Thoracic Oncology, National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo, Japan. isekine@ncc.go.jp
Nokihara
Hiroshi
H
Yamamoto
Noboru
N
Kunitoh
Hideo
H
Ohe
Yuichiro
Y
Tamura
Tomohide
T
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012189:Retrospective Studies