Kinetically scheduled therapy for extensive small-cell lung cancer.

Nine patients with extensive small-cell lung cancer were treated with a kinetically scheduled combination of cyclophosphamide, methotrexate by infusion, Adriamycin, and vincristine. There were two partial responses. No complete responses were noted. All patients progressed within 25 weeks of the initiation of therapy. In contrast to previously reported success with a similar kinetic schedule, we have found it to be ineffective in patients with extensive disease. Higher-dose therapy may be necessary to achieve better results in extensive small-cell lung cancer.