Efficacy and Safety of Amrubicin Monotherapy After Chemoradiotherapy in Patients With Relapsed Limited Disease Small-cell Lung Cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Amrubicin is recognized as a second-line treatment for refractory small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) and is administered immediately after chemotherapy; however, it has not been evaluated in patients with recurrent SCLC following chemoradiotherapy (CRT). This study aimed to examine the activity and safety of amrubicin monotherapy in patients with relapsed SCLC previously treated with CRT.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This retrospective study evaluated patients with relapsed SCLC who had been previously treated with CRT, followed by amrubicin monotherapy between April 2007 and June 2021. The clinical efficacy and toxicity were assessed.

RESULTS

Overall, 30 patients (20 men and 10 women) were enrolled. The response rate was 50.0% [95% confidence interval (CI)=33.1-66.8%]. The median progression-free survival and overall survival from the first amrubicin treatment was 4.1 months (95%CI=2.3-6.0 months) and 13.5 months (95%CI=7.5-16.0 months), respectively. Grade ≥3 hematological adverse events occurred as follows: decreased white blood cells in 63.3% of patients, decreased neutrophil count in 70.0%, and febrile neutropenia in 10.0%. Grade 3 pneumonitis was observed in one patient. No treatment-related deaths occurred.

CONCLUSION

Amrubicin is both feasible and effective in patients with relapsed SCLC who were previously treated with CRT. The efficacy and toxicity of amrubicin in this study were consistent with those of previous reports, indicating that amrubicin retained its effectiveness post-CRT. Consequently, amrubicin following CRT may be the optimal chemotherapeutic choice for patients with relapsed limited-disease SCLC.