Background: The survival rate for surgically resected stage III N2 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients is less than 10%.
Methods: A phase II study of cisplatin, epirubicin, and VP-16 (PEV) was undertaken in an attempt to improve the curative potential of surgery. Forty-one patients with stage III N2 NSCLC received 3 cycles of pEV. Patients with either complete response (CR) or partial response (PR) underwent surgery and 3 additional courses of PEV.
Results: The response rate in the whole patient population was 58%. Eighteen patients were resected; twelve resections were complete and 6 were incomplete. Toxicity was mild and consisted mainly of myelosuppression. Twenty-six patients have died, and the median survival of all 41 patients was 18.1 months, with a 3-year survival of 23%. The median survival for those patients who were resected was 27 months with a 3-year survival of 42%.
Conclusions: PEV is an effective low toxic drug combination for limited NSCLC.