Randomized comparison of etoposide-cisplatin vs. etoposide-carboplatin and irradiation in small-cell lung cancer. A Hellenic Co-operative Oncology Group study.

PURPOSE

To compare the efficacy and toxicity of etoposide and cisplatin (EP) with etoposide and carboplatin (EC) in combination with irradiation in small-cell lung cancer (SCLC).

METHODS

Previously untreated patients (pts) with SCLC and measurable or evaluable disease were randomized to receive either cisplatin 50 mg/m2 on days 1-2 or carboplatin 300 mg/m2 on day 1, both combined with etoposide 300 mg/m2 on days 1-3 every 21 days for 6 treatment cycles. The vast majority of responding limited disease (LD) pts and complete responders (CR) with extensive disease (ED), also received thoracic irradiation (TI) and prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) concurrently with the third cycle.

RESULTS

Of the 147 patients registered, 143 were eligible; median performance status (PS, WHO) was 1, and tumour stage was LD in 41 pts of each treatment group. The mean delay between cycles was 8 days in the EP group and 9 in the EC group increasing in both arms with the number of treatment courses. The drug dose administered per unit time as a proportion of the protocol dose was 74% and 80% for the two groups respectively. Leukopenia, neutropenic infections, nausea, vomiting, neurotoxicity and hyperergic reactions were more frequent and/or severe in the EP group. The CR rates were 57% and 58% for EP and EC respectively. Median survival for all pts was 12.5 and 11.8 months, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Both treatments proved to be effective, with no differences in response and survival between the two treatment arms. The EC regimen was associated with significantly less toxicity.