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Vol.43 No.7 contents | Japanese/English |
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Gemcitabine and Vinorelbine Combinations in Recurrence After Resected Non-small Cell Lung Cancer
Yoshinori Hiramatsu11Department of Thoracic Surgery, Kamo Hospital, Japan
Objective. Generally speaking, it is difficult to cure recurrence after resected non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Treatment options regarding second therapy have been limited so far because of poor prognosis. Recently, a number of new agents which have favorable efficacy and toxicity have been introduced. This report shows the clinical experiences of gemcitabine (GEM) and vinorelbine (VNR) combinations in recurrence after resected NSCLC. Patients and Methods. From March 2001 to October 2002, 19 patients with recurrence after resection of NSCLC received combination chemotherapy of GEM 800 mg/m2 and VNR 20 mg/m2 biweekly in the outpatient clinic. Results. The mean age was 68.2 years with 12 men and 7 women. The types of histology were adenocarcinoma (n=17) and adenosquamous (n=2). Metastatic sites included: lung (n=12), lymph nodes (n=10), malignant effusion (n=4), bone (n=3), skin (n=2), brain (n=2), liver (n=1). The mean number of prescriptions of combination chemotherapy per patient was 14.2. Grade1-2 myelosuppression (n=12), general fatigue (n=9), anorexia (n=4), stomatitis (n=1) and phlebitis (n=1) was seen. Objective responses were; complete response (CR): 2/19 (10.5%), partial response (PR): 6/19 (31.6%), no change (NC): 7/19 (36.8%), progressive disease (PD): 4/19 (21.1%). Quality of life (QOL) during treatment in all patients has been stable. Conclusion. The regimen of GEM and VNR combination chemotherapy in the outpatient clinic represents a tolerable and effective treatment to apply in the palliative treatment of relapsed NSCLC.
key words: Recurrence, Gemcitabine, Vinorelbine, Side effects
JJLC 43 (7): 952-955, 2003
