Background: Non-small cell lung cancer has several types of pathology and is moderately responsive to anticancer drugs, but specific chemotherapy regimens for each have not been established.
Methods: We compared the outcomes of patients with squamous and nonsquamous cell carcinoma of the lung, which were compiled from four of our own studies of nedaplatin (NP) with irinotecan (CPT).
Results: One hundred twenty-one patients with stage IIIB/IV non-small cell lung cancer received 50 to 100 mg/m NP and 50 to 60 mg/m CPT per cycle. Eighty-six patients were men and 35 were women, with a median age of 70 years (range, 29-84 years). Seventeen, 88, 8, and 8 patients had a performance status of 0, 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Twenty seven of the 121 patients had squamous cell carcinoma. Responses to the NP and CPT regimen were complete in two cases and partial in 45. The response rate was 51.9 and 35.1% in patients with squamous and nonsquamous cell carcinoma, respectively. Comparisons of survival revealed that the median survival time, 1-year survival rate, and 2-year survival rate were 14.5 and 9.1 months, 63.0 and 39.4%, and 29.6 and 19.1% for patients with squamous and nonsquamous cell carcinoma, respectively.
Conclusions: The NP and CPT regimen is suggested to be more active against squamous cell carcinoma of the lung, and a comparative study to confirm this is recommended.