Vindesine and etoposide chemotherapy in the management of patients with small cell lung cancer and poor prognosis.

Twenty-five patients with histologically proven small cell lung cancer who were in too poor physical condition to receive 'aggressive' chemotherapy were treated with vindesine and etoposide (VE). The median survival was 195 days, and there were 4 survivors of greater than 460 days. Eight patients died before the second pulse of chemotherapy, and these all had a Karnofsky score of less than or equal to 20 at diagnosis. Toxicity of the chemotherapy regimen was minimal, and the results suggest that VE chemotherapy may be suitable for the treatment of patients with small cell lung cancer who are unsuitable for more toxic chemotherapy.