RESUMEN
AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the activity of the combination of carboplatin and vinorelbine in patients with poor prognosis small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Patients with good prognosis disease were included who were not medically fit to tolerate conventional chemotherapy. Activity was assessed primarily as response rate and secondarily in terms of toxicity, time to progression and survival. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifty-eight patients, 37 men and 21 women, with histologically or cytologically confirmed SCLC, who had bi-dimensionally measurable disease, with ECOG performance status > or = 2, with adequate haematological, hepatic and renal function received first-line chemotherapy with carboplatin (AUC x 5) day 1 and vinorelbine (30 mg/m2) days 1 and 8 of a 28-day cycle. Response was assessed after every two cycles of chemotherapy, with patients receiving a maximum of six cycles of treatment. RESULTS: The combination of carboplatin and vinorelbine is an active regimen in the treatment of SCLC, with an overall intention-to-treat response rate of 55% [95% confidence interval (CI): 42-68%] with six (10%) of patients having a complete response. Median time to progression was 18 weeks (95% CI: 15-21 weeks). Median overall survival was 26 weeks (95% CI: 21-31 weeks). Ten patients failed to complete two cycles of treatment, and were not evaluable for response for the following reasons: septic death (1 neutropaenic, 1 no myelotoxicity), non-toxic death (1 tumour eroded through the pulmonary artery, 1 ischaemic heart disease) ischaemic heart disease (1) and patient decision (5). There were a total of three toxic deaths all sepsis-complicating neutropaenia. Forty-four (76%) patients experienced grade 3 or 4 neutropaenia, six (11%) grade 3 or 4 thrombocytopaenia, 10 (13%) grade 3 lethargy, three (5%) grade 3 nausea and two (3%) grade 3 diarrhoea. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of carboplatin and vinorelbine is active against SCLC but the toxicity profile in this group of patients suggests that further evaluation is not appropriate.