Schiller J H
Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin Comprehensive Cancer Center, Madison 53792, USA.
Semin Oncol. 1997 Dec;24(6 Suppl 20):S20-27-S20-33.
Lung cancer continues to be the leading cause of cancer-related death in both men and women. According to the American Cancer Society, 160,400 people are predicted to die from this disease in 1997. Approximately 20% to 25% of lung cancer cases are classified as small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Although initial response rates to chemotherapy and radiation therapy are high among SCLC patients, nearly all these patients will eventually relapse and require additional treatment. The search for better treatments in relapsed SCLC is thus a high priority. In particular, it is hoped that the availability of new non-cross-resistant chemotherapeutic agents such as topotecan (Hycamtin; SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals, Philadelphia, PA), a topoisomerase I inhibitor, will expand the treatment options. Because results from preclinical studies and phase I trials suggested that topotecan has activity in SCLC, the efficacy of this agent is currently being assessed in phase II and III clinical trials. Results from these trials, summarized here, suggest that topotecan may be a valuable alternative in the treatment of SCLC.
肺癌仍然是男性和女性癌症相关死亡的主要原因。根据美国癌症协会的数据，预计1997年有160400人死于这种疾病。大约20%至25%的肺癌病例被归类为小细胞肺癌（SCLC）。尽管小细胞肺癌患者对化疗和放疗的初始缓解率较高，但几乎所有这些患者最终都会复发并需要额外的治疗。因此，寻找复发性小细胞肺癌的更好治疗方法是当务之急。特别是，人们希望新的非交叉耐药化疗药物如拓扑替康（Hycamtin；史克必成制药公司，宾夕法尼亚州费城），一种拓扑异构酶I抑制剂的出现，将扩大治疗选择。由于临床前研究和I期试验的结果表明拓扑替康在小细胞肺癌中有活性，目前正在II期和III期临床试验中评估该药物的疗效。这里总结的这些试验结果表明，拓扑替康可能是治疗小细胞肺癌的一种有价值的替代药物。
