Abstract
To determine the feasibility and safety of multiple sequential courses of high-dose chemotherapy with peripheral blood progenitor cells (PBSCs) followed by thoracic irradiation (54 Gy) and prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI 30 Gy) in patients with limited disease (LD) small cell lung cancer (SCLC), six patients received one cycle of conventional-dose chemotherapy followed by four cycles of high-dose chemotherapy with stem cell support. Neither significant adverse side-effects nor treatment mortality were observed. CR and almost CR (> 90%) was obtained in five out of six patients while one patient had a partial response (PR). The median survival was 21.3 months (range 8-34). However, the benefit of the high CR rate and prolonged survival did not result in cure even in these favorable circumstances, because all the patients died of recurrence in the cerebral nervous system. According to our data we stopped this chemotherapy regime because it was not able to prevent cerebral disease.
MeSH terms
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Adult
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Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / adverse effects
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Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / therapeutic use*
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Brain Neoplasms / prevention & control
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Brain Neoplasms / secondary
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Carboplatin / administration & dosage
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Carboplatin / adverse effects
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Carcinoma, Small Cell / drug therapy*
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Carcinoma, Small Cell / pathology
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Carcinoma, Small Cell / radiotherapy
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Carcinoma, Small Cell / therapy
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Combined Modality Therapy
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Cranial Irradiation
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Cyclophosphamide / administration & dosage
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Cyclophosphamide / adverse effects
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Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
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Epirubicin / administration & dosage
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Epirubicin / adverse effects
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Etoposide / administration & dosage
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Etoposide / adverse effects
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Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor / administration & dosage
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Hematopoietic Stem Cell Mobilization
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Humans
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Ifosfamide / administration & dosage
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Ifosfamide / adverse effects
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Lung Neoplasms / drug therapy*
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Lung Neoplasms / pathology
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Lung Neoplasms / radiotherapy
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Lung Neoplasms / therapy
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Male
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Middle Aged
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Neoplasm Staging
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Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation*
Substances
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Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor
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Epirubicin
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Etoposide
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Cyclophosphamide
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Carboplatin
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Ifosfamide