Purpose: To evaluate efficacy and toxicity of a combination of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin and irinotecan in patients with refractory small-cell lung cancer.
Patients and methods: Thirty-one patients with early relapse after first-line therapy with cisplatin/etoposide were treated with pegylated liposomal doxorubicin 15 mg/m(2) and irinotecan 125 mg/m(2) on days 1 and 15. Treatment was repeated every 28 days.
Results: A total of 144 chemotherapy courses were administered. All patients were evaluable for toxicity and twenty-six (84%) for response. Grade 3 neutropenia occurred in two (6.5%) patients and grade 1 thrombocytopenia in one (3.2%). Fatigue was the most frequent grade 3 non-hematologic toxicity and was observed in seven patients (23%). Four (12.9; 95% CI: 1.1-24.7%) patients achieved a partial response, and disease stabilization was observed in additional two (6.5%) patients (Tumor Growth Control: 19.4; 95% CI: 5.5-33.3%). The median TTP was 2.03 months, and the median survival time was 3.16 months.
Conclusions: The combination of pegylated doxorubicin and irinotecan is very well tolerated but with modest activity in patients with refractory SCLC.