[ZD1839 (Iressa) in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer patients].
BACKGROUND
To investigate the antitumor effects and toxicity of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitor ZD1839 (Iressa) in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).


METHODS
From December 2002 to August 2003, 39 patients with unresectable NSCLC were enrolled for 250 mg once-daily oral treatment with ZD1839. Clinical data was analysed using chi-square test, t test and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Quality of Life (QoL) was analyzed using Chinese Version of European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) core questionnaire QLQ-C30 and lung cancer related questionnaire QLQ-LC13.


RESULTS
Tumor response rate (complete response and partial response) was 28.2% . Disease control rate, which included both tumor responses and stable disease, was 59.0%. Objective tumor response was correlated with gender and pathological type. Time to progress was (6.6±1.6) months (95% CI, 3.4-9.7), and 1 year survival rate was 54.3%. Response rate of global, functional and lung cancer-related symptom scales were 34.8%, 65.2% and 73.9% respectively. The ZD1839 of 250 mg/d was well tolerated by patients. The majority of adverse events were grade I or grade II skin rash and diarrhea, which were manageable and reversible.


CONCLUSIONS
ZD1839 offers a new treatment option providing meaningful tumor control and symptom relief for many patients with advanced NSCLC.
Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100730, P.R.China.
Xiaotong
X
Zhang
Longyun
L
Li
Xinlin
X
Mu
Shulan
S
Wang