Carboplatin and vinorelbine in the treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer - A multicenter phase II study

The aim of this study was to identify a chemotherapy combination that would be active and well tolerated for palliative treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). From February 1992 to December 1994, a total of 77 patients affected by stage-IIIB and stage-IV NSCLC were treated with carboplatin 350 mg/m(2) on day 1 and vinorelbine 25 mg/m(2) on days 1 and 8 of each cycle, with cycles repeated every 28 days. All patients were evaluable for response and toxicity. A total of 24 patients showed a partial response (31% response rate; 95% CI = 21-41%). The median duration of overall survival was 41 weeks (95% CI = 31-51), and the median time to disease progression was 34 weeks (95% CI = 25-43). The treatment was well tolerated: no grade-4 toxicity was ob served. The carboplatin-vinorelbine combination deserves to considered as a valid alternative to regimens that include cisplatin for palliative treatment of advanced NSCLC.