[Alternative combination chemotherapy with mitomycin C, vincristine, methotrexate, 5-fluorouracil, cis-platinum and adriamycin for adenocarcinoma of the lung].

Efficacy of an alternative combination chemotherapy with MMC, VCR, MTX, 5-FU, CDDP and ADM for adenocarcinoma of the lung is reported. Forty-one advanced cases (stage III: 9; IV: 32) were chosen for the chemotherapy. Two combination chemotherapies MMC + VCR + MTX + 5-FU + CDDP: MVMFP; MMC + VCR + MTX + 5-FU + ADM: MVMFA were repeated alternatively for 8 consecutive weeks with 2 interposed rest weeks, and this regimen was completed in 34 cases. All 41 cases were evaluable. Three and 26 cases achieved complete and partial responses, respectively. The response rate was 70.7%, and the median survival time was 13 months. The adverse effects of the chemotherapy observed were tolerable: alopecia (63.4%), gastrointestinal symptoms (14.5%), bone marrow toxicity (12.2%) and liver dysfunction (4.8%). These results indicate that our MVMFP/MVMFA alternative chemotherapy is quite effective for adenocarcinoma of the lung, comparable or superior to conventional chemotherapies.