[UFT plus cisplatin with concurrent radiotherapy in unresectable stage III non-small cell lung cancer--its application to outpatient practice].

BACKGROUND

Combination chemotherapy with UFT and cisplatin is active and less toxic for advanced non-small cell lung cancer. This treatment is likely to be applied to concurrent chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer, especially in the outpatient setting.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Ten patients with unresectable stage III non-small cell lung cancer received the UFT plus cisplatin treatment combined with concurrent radiotherapy. The chemotherapeutic regimen consisted of oral administration of UFT 400 mg/m2 daily and venous infusion of cisplatin 20-25 mg/m2 on days 8-10. The administration of cisplatin was repeated every 3-4 weeks. Thoracic radiation started on day 8, and was completed to a total dose of 60-70 Gy.

RESULTS

Adverse events (grade 3 or 4) occurred in 2 patients (esophagitis 2, leukopenia/neutropenia 1) with no treatment-related death. There were 7 partial responses (response rate 70.0%; 95% C.I., 41.6-98.4%). The median survival time was 18.7 months with a 1-year survival rate of 77.8%. Two patients uneventfully received the treatment in an outpatient setting.

CONCLUSION

With regard to the quality of life of patients, UFT plus cisplatin with concurrent radiotherapy might be the treatment of choice for unresectable stage III non-small cell lung cancer.