Intermittent adjuvant chemo-immunotherapy after resection of non-small cell lung cancer with multilevel mediastinal lymph node metastasis

Oncol Rep. 2000 May-Jun;7(3):545-9. doi: 10.3892/or.7.3.545.

Abstract

The prognosis of patients with multilevel mediastinal lymph node metastasis remains poor notwithstanding the progress in multimodal therapy in non-small cell lung cancer. We conducted a feasible study of intermittent adjuvant chemo-immunotherapy after surgery for patients with multilevel mediastinal lymph node metastasis of non-small cell lung cancer. Eleven patients with pathologically N2 or N3 lung cancer (10, adenocarcinomas; 1, squamous cell carcinoma) were enrolled. Five completely resected cases received systemic chemo-immunotherapy and six incompletely resected cases received local chemo-immunotherapy by an indwelling catheter in the thoracic cavity. Cisplatin-based and dose-dependent anti-cancer drugs were selected on the basis of sensitivity tests. Either adoptive immunotherapy with interleukin-2 and lymphokine-activated killer cell or combination of interferon gamma# and OK432 were administered after chemotherapy. This adjuvant therapy was performed every 2-3 months after surgery for 2 years. The 2-year survival rate for all cases were 72.7% and the 2-year disease-free survival were 36.4%. The 2-year survival rate for five completely resected cases and six incompletely resected cases was 80% and 66.7%, respectively. Combined intermittent chemo-immunotherapy after surgical resection of tumors may be a promising modality to improve the survival of patients with multilevel mediastinal lymph node metastasis in non-small cell lung cancer.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / therapeutic use*
  • Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / mortality
  • Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / pathology
  • Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / surgery
  • Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / therapy*
  • Chemotherapy, Adjuvant
  • Cisplatin / administration & dosage
  • Combined Modality Therapy
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Immunotherapy*
  • Immunotherapy, Adoptive
  • Lung Neoplasms / mortality
  • Lung Neoplasms / pathology
  • Lung Neoplasms / surgery
  • Lung Neoplasms / therapy*
  • Lymphatic Metastasis
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Mitomycin / administration & dosage
  • Neoplasm Staging
  • Prognosis
  • Survival Analysis
  • Vindesine / administration & dosage

Substances

  • Mitomycin
  • Cisplatin
  • Vindesine