A comparison between a single agent short course chemotherapy regimen and a quadruple prolonged course regimen for small-cell bronchogenic carcinoma of limited extent.

Sixty-eight patients with inoperable but 'limited' stage small-cell carcinoma of the bronchus were treated with two different chemotherapy regimens. Thirty-four patients received methotrexate, cyclophosphamide, procarbazine and vincristine in standard dose over a 2-year schedule. Thirty-four patients received cyclophosphamide alone over a period of 3 months. The groups were evenly balanced with respect to clinical details which are fully described. Toxicity was acceptable. The median actual survival for the whole group was 11 months, the 1-year, 2-year and 4-year survival being 48%, 30% and 1.5% respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in survival between those classified as responders and those as non-responders, nor between the groups treated with the two different regimens. There was a high local recurrence rate.