Etoposide by oral route in the treatment of unresectable non-small cell lung cancer.

Twenty patients with unresectable non-small cell lung cancer (10 squamous cell carcinoma, 7 adenocarcinoma, 3 large cell carcinoma), previously untreated, received etoposide 300 mg/m2 by oral route days 1-3-5 every three weeks. No complete or partial remissions were observed but only two minor responses. There were 7 stable diseases and 11 progressive diseases. Myelosuppression activity was usually mild and gastro-intestinal side effects were the most prominent. In this trial etoposide by oral route has shown only marginal activity against non-small cell lung cancer.