The combination of etoposide and cisplatin in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

• Published in: Annals of oncology Vol. 10; no. suppl-5; pp. S13 - S17
• Main Authors: Ardizzoni, A., Antonelli, G., Grossi, F., Tixi, L., Cafferata, M., Rosso, R.
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 1999; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: advanced disease; Antineoplastic agents; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols - therapeutic use; Biological and medical sciences; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung - drug therapy; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung - pathology; Chemotherapy; cisplatin; Cisplatin - administration & dosage; etoposide; Etoposide - administration & dosage; Humans; Lung Neoplasms - drug therapy; Lung Neoplasms - pathology; Medical sciences; non-small-cell lung cancer; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Quality of Life; Survival Analysis; etoposide; cisplatin; advanced disease; chemotherapy; non-small-cell lung cancer; Antineoplastic agent; Human; Lung disease; Drug combination; Respiratory disease; Treatment efficiency; Etoposide; Malignant tumor; Review; Bronchopulmonary; Cisplatin; Podophyllotoxine derivatives; Chemotherapy; Treatment; Bronchus disease; Clinical trial; Advanced stage; Comparative study; Non small cell carcinoma; Platinum II Complexes
• ISSN: 0923-7534; 1569-8041
• DOI: 10.1093/annonc/10.suppl_5.S13

The role of chemotherapy in the treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has been a subject of debate for many years. Only recently, cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy has been demonstrated to yield a small but definite survival benefit and to improve symptoms, performance status and quality of life in a substantial proportion of advanced NSCLC patients. The cisplatin–etoposide (PE) regimen was developed in the early 1980s and has been one of the standard chemotherapy programs most extensively used in the clinical practice until a few years ago. More recently, several randomized trials have compared the efficacy of new cisplatin-containing combination chemotherapies including Paclitaxel or Gemcitabine with that of PE or PE-like regimens. Preliminary results are encouraging, indicating a small benefit in favor of the last generation of regimens which might therefore replace PE as “gold standards” in the treatment of advanced NSCLC. However, the costs of these last generation regimens is higher and the entity of the benefit small. Therefore, PE chemotherapy can still be an option in selected situations.