Phase I/II study of S-1 plus carboplatin in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer

The objective of this phase I/II study was to determine the recommended dose (RD) of S-1 and carboplatin (CBDCA), and to evaluate the efficacy and safety of this combination in the treatment of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Chemotherapy-naive patients were treated with S-1 given orally on days 1-14, and CBDCA infused intravenously on day 1, repeated every 3 weeks. RD was AUC5 of CBDCA and 80 mg/m(2) of S-1. Nineteen patients were treated at the RD. The overall response was 30.8% (95% confidence interval: 17.1-58.3%). The response rate in the RD was 36.8% (95% CL 16.3-61.6%). The median overall survival time was 11.1 months (95% CL 8.1-15.3 months) and the median progression-free survival time was 5.0 months (95% Cl: 3.6-6.0 months). Major grades 3-4 toxicities were thrombocytopaenia (47%), anaemia (26%) and infection (16%). This is the first report to show promising activity of this combination in phase II, including survival data and manageable toxicity, especially in outpatients receiving treatment for advanced NSCLC. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.