Results from a single institution phase II trial of concurrent docetaxel/carboplatin/radiotherapy followed by surgical resection and consolidation docetaxel/carboplatin in stage III non-small-cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND

The optimal treatment of locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains controversial. We hypothesized that using a trimodality approach in selected patients with stage IIIA/IIIB disease would be both feasible and efficacious with reasonable toxicity.

PATIENTS/METHODS: We enrolled 13 patients with resectable stage III NSCLC on a prospective phase II trial of trimodality therapy. Induction treatment consisted of weekly docetaxel 20 mg/m(2) and weekly carboplatin at an area under curve (AUC) of 2 concurrent with 45 Gy thoracic radiotherapy. Resection was performed unless felt to be unsafe or if patients had progressive disease. Postoperative consolidation consisted of docetaxel 75 mg/m(2) and carboplatin at an AUC of 6 every 3 weeks for 3 cycles with growth factor support.

RESULTS

All patients responded to induction chemoradiotherapy as measured by total gross tumor volume reductions of 43% on average (range, 27%-64%). Twelve patients underwent resection of the tumor and involved nodes, yielding a resectability rate of 92%. The primary endpoint of 2-year overall survival (OS) was 72% (95% confidence interval [CI], 36%-90%), and 2-year progression-free survival (PFS) was 36% (95% CI, 9%-64%). The maximal toxicity observed per patient was grade II in 5 patients (38%); grade III in 7 patients (54%); grade IV in 1 patient (8%); and grade V in none.

CONCLUSION

This trimodality approach resulted in promising outcomes with reasonable toxicity in carefully selected patients with stage III NSCLC at a single institution.