RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: Elderly patients prefer to receive less-toxic therapy. Monotherapy using drugs such as vinorelbine, gemcitabine or docetaxel is a preferable chemotherapy in elderly patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. Gefitinib shows remarkable efficacy in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer, who have activating epidermal growth factor receptor mutations. Adenocarcinoma histology is related to these mutations. Therefore, we conducted a phase II study of gefitinib as a first-line therapy in elderly patients with pulmonary adenocarcinoma. METHODS: Eligible patients were 70 years or older, had pulmonary adenocarcinoma, stage IIIB or IV disease, an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0-2 and adequate organ functions. Patients were treated with oral gefitinib 250 mg daily until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. RESULTS: Thirty-one patients were enrolled, of whom 30 were eligible. The median age was 78.5 years. The response rate was 20%, the disease control rate was 47%, the median progression-free survival was 2.7 months and the median overall survival was 11.9 months. Narrowing it down to those who had never smoked, the response rate increased to 43%, the disease control rate increased to 57%, the median progression-free survival prolonged to 7.1 months and the median overall survival prolonged to 13.0 months. The most frequent toxicity was rash. Other major toxicities were diarrhea, anorexia, liver dysfunction and anemia. These toxicities were mild and easily managed. CONCLUSIONS: Gefitinib as a first-line therapy is active and well tolerated in elderly patients with pulmonary adenocarcinoma, especially in those who have never smoked.