Background: The aim of this study was to determine the progression-free survival (PFS) and toxicity associated with adjuvant administration of carboplatin and pemetrexed for completely resected patients with stage IB, II and IIIA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Patients and Methods: Forty-five eligible NSCLC patients received surgical resection for pathological stage IB, II or IIIA followed by postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy with carboplatin AUC5 and pemetrexed administered on days 1 and 14 on a 28-day cycle. Recombinant human granocyte colony-stimulating factor (rhG-CF) was given prophylactically. Results: The mean time to disease progression of patients was 26 months. Toxicities were generally mild to moderate and entirely manageable. Conclusion: The administration of carboplatin and pemetrexed is a safe, well-tolerated and convenient regimen in the adjuvant setting of completely resected NSCLC, with efficacy similar to that reported in other regimens but less toxicity.
Although complete surgical resection is the optimal management of patients with operable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the five-year overall survival rate is poor, ranging from 23% to 67% , and dependent on the size of the primary tumor and the lymph node involvement (1). Postoperative radiotherapy reduces the rate of local recurrence in stage IIIA disease but it has a questionable, if not detrimental, effect in patients with stage I and II (2).
Correspondence to: Kostas N. Syrigos, MD, Ph.D., Professor of Oncology in Medicine, Head, Oncology Unit, Third Department of Medicine, Athens University School of Medicine, Sotiria General Hospital, Building Z, 152 Mesogion Avenue, 115 27 Athens, Greece. Tel: +30 2107475034, Fax: +30 2107781035, e-mail: ten.a1776277845su@so1776277845girys1776277845nk1776277845 / rg.ao1776277845u.dem1776277845@sogi1776277845rysk1776277845 Key Words: Adjuvant chemotherapy, operable non-small cell lung cancer, carboplatin, pemetrexed.