title: Amrubicin monotherapy for patients with previously treated advanced large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the lung.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  No standard chemotherapy has been established yet for large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the lung. Amrubicin is active for both small cell and non-small cell lung cancers, but its activity for large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma is still unknown.
  
  
  METHODS
  From January 2002 to December 2009, 18 patients with previously treated advanced large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma received amrubicin monotherapy. The efficacy and toxicity of the treatment were analyzed retrospectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The patients comprised 17 males and one female with a median age of 62 years (range, 51-77). Fourteen and four patients had a performance status of 0-1 and 2, respectively. Thirteen (72%) patients had received one prior chemotherapy, while the others had received two or more chemotherapies. All the patients had received platinum-based chemotherapy before the amrubicin treatment. A total of 63 cycles of amrubicin chemotherapy was administered in the 18 patients, with a median number of cycles per patient of 2.5 (range, 1-10). The median dose of amrubicin in the 63 cycles was 40 (range, 30-45) mg/m(2)/day for 3 days. Grades 3-4 neutropenia, thrombocytopenia and anemia were seen in 89, 17 and 22% of the patients, respectively. Grade 3 febrile neutropenia occurred in 33% of the patients. Non-hematological toxicity was generally mild and manageable. There were five cases of partial response, six of stable disease and six of progressive disease among the 18 patients, yielding an objective response rate of 27.7%. The median progression-free and overall survivals of the patients were 3.1 and 5.1 months, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Amrubicin was potentially active against previously treated large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Division of Internal Medicine and Thoracic Oncology, National Cancer Center Hospital, Tsukiji 5-1-1, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0045, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Ikuo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sekine
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tsuta
authors.forename: Hidehito
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Horinouchi
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nokihara
authors.forename: Noboru
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Kaoru
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kubota
authors.forename: Tomohide
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tamura
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D018943:Anthracyclines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018287:Carcinoma, Large Cell / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D018278:Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D018943:Anthracyclines; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; C055866:amrubicin