Combination chemotherapy and radiation therapy for small cell carcinoma.

A three-drug combination of the chemotherapeutic agents cyclophosphamide, vincristine sulfate, and doxorubicin hydrochloride was given to 45 patients with small cell bronchogenic carcinoma. In addition, patients with limited disease received radiation therapy to the primary tumor. The complete response rate was 44%, with a median survival of 50 weeks. The partial response rate was 29%, with a median survival of 35 weeks. Patients who did not respond to therapy showed a median survival of only 12 weeks. Twenty percent of the patients had their first recurrence in the brain, and the median survival from the time of disease recurrence was ten weeks. Bone marrow metastasis was encountered in 24% of the patient population, but this did not adversely affect survival.