Four-day paclitaxel infusion with cisplatin for patients with lung cancer.

Lung cancer cell lines are between seven and 1,000 times more sensitive to paclitaxel (Taxol; Bristol-Myers Squibb Co, Princeton, NJ) when exposed for 120 hours (5 days) compared with 3-hour exposure. A phase I study of 4-day infusion of paclitaxel plus bolus cisplatin for patients with lung cancer has defined the recommended phase II dose. In this study, paclitaxel infused at 30 mg/m2/d for 4 days followed by a cisplatin bolus of 80 mg/m2 after infusion completion was associated with acceptable hematologic toxicity. Nine of the 16 patients with non-small cell lung cancer treated with at least two cycles of this regimen attained an objective tumor response (one complete response and eight partial responses; overall response rate, 56%). The recommended phase II dose of a 4-day infusion of paclitaxel plus bolus cisplatin followed by the administration of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor has not yet been determined.