Purpose: This multicenter phase II study was conducted to investigate the efficacy and safety of carboplatin in combination with paclitaxel administered according to a biweekly schedule as a first-line chemotherapy for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Patients and methods: Eligibility criteria included histologically or cytologically confirmed NSCLC (stage IIIb or IV), no prior treatment, and measurable or evaluable disease. Paclitaxel (140 mg/m(2)) was administered intravenously on day 1, in combination with carboplatin at an area under the concentration time curve (AUC) of 3, every 2 weeks.
Results: Seventy-four patients (45 men) with a median age of 62 years (range 40-74) and a median ECOG performance status of 1 (range 0-2) were enrolled. The response rate was 35.1% [95% confidence interval (CI): 24.4-47.1%], with 26 partial responses. The median survival was 357 days, and the median time to progression was 218 days. Toxicity was generally mild; National Cancer Institute-Common Toxicity Criteria (NCI-CTC) grades 3 and 4 neutropenia was observed in 50.0% of the patients, and grades 3 and 4 nausea/vomiting in 4.1%.
Conclusions: Biweekly carboplatin combined with paclitaxel demonstrated anti-tumor activity in advanced NSCLC, with response and survival rates similar to those of carboplatin combined with paclitaxel administered every 3 weeks but with a more favorable toxicity profile, and the present data indicate that the regimen is suitable for use on an outpatient basis.