RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: We conducted a phase I study of paclitaxel (PTX), carboplatin (CBDCA), and UFT in chemo-naive patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHOD: Twenty-one chemo-naive patients with advanced NSCLC were enrolled. The study was conducted as a phase I dose-escalation study of various doses of systemic PTX followed by CBDCA on day 1 and oral UFT (400 mg/m2) on days 1-5 and 8-12, with the cycle repeated at 21-day intervals. At least three patients were enrolled in each step. RESULTS: The main toxicities were neutropenia and paresthesia, but were tolerable and reversible in all cases. Overall response rate was 57% (12 out of 21). The MTD was not reached at the highest dose level after the first cycle. Given previous recommends of PTX at 225 mg/m2 and CBDCA AUC 6 for two-drug therapy, the recommended dose for the phase II study under our regimen was set at PTX 225 mg/m2 on day 1, CBDCA AUC 6 on day 1, and UFT 400 mg/m2 on days 1-5 and 8-12. CONCLUSION: The combination of PTX, CBDCA, and UFT showed promising activity and acceptable toxicity in these chemo-naive patients, supporting the development of this combination as a feasible chemotherapeutic option for advanced NSCLC.