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Vol.42 No.3 contents | Japanese/English |
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- Original Article -
Chemotherapy for Elderly Patients With Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer
Hidetomi Ryo1, Katsuhiro Toyama1, Kazutoshi Isobe1, Keishi Sugino1, Gou Sano1, Hiroyuki Yamada1, Mayumi Hiroi1, Takako Hojyo1, Kazuhiro Kimura11First Department of Internal Medicine, Toho University, Japan
Objective. To evaluate the safety and the usefulness of chemotherapy for elderly patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), retrospective analysis was performed. Patients and Methods. A total of 192 patients who received chemotherapy were divided into two groups: the elderly group (>70 years old, 49 patients), and the non-elderly group (<70 years old, 143 patients). Hematologic toxicity, non-hematologic toxicity, tumor response and overall survival were analyzed. Results. In the elderly group, most patients had better prognostic factors; performance status (PS) 0-1, and stageIII. A regimen including cisplatin (CDDP) was administered in 71% of patients in the elderly group. No significant differences in treatment, hematologic toxicity and tumor response were observed between the two groups. In patients who received CDDP in the elderly group, the incidence of Grade 3 or more severe hematologic toxicities was significantly higher than that of the non-elderly group, 77% and 43%, respectivily. The survival curve of the elderly group was significantly (p<0.05) more prolonged than that of the non-elderly group. Using Cox proportional hazards model, it was found that PS, clinical stage, histology and treatment dose were significant prognostic factors, but age was not a significant prognostic factor. Conclusion. Selected elderly patients with good PS and no combined organ dysfunctions are candidates for chemotherapy. Since CDDP might induce severe side effects, a regimen without CDDP should be selected for patients over 75 years old.
key words: Lung cancer, Elderly, Chemotherapy
Received: November 16, 2001
Accepted: March 13, 2002
JJLC 42 (3): 175-179, 2002
