Etoposide combination therapy for small cell carcinoma of the lung.

Sixty-three consecutive patients with small cell carcinoma of the lung were treated by six cycles at 3-week intervals of etoposide 120 mg/m2 i.v. on day 1 and orally on days 2-5, adriamycin 40 mg/m2 i.v. on day 1 and vincristine 1.4 mg/m2 i.v. on day 1. Tumour bed irradiation was administered to patients with limited disease after chemotherapy. In limited-disease and extensive-disease patients the median survival was 12 and 6 months respectively. The 2-year survival rate (life table) in limited-disease patients was 26%. Treatment morbidity was low. A prospective randomised trial is being undertaken to further evaluate the role of oral etoposide in combination chemotherapy.