Combination chemotherapy with bleomycin (NSC-125066), vincristine (NSC-67574), and methotrexate (NSC-740) plus split-course radiotherapy in the treatment of non-oat-cell bronchogenic carcinoma

Abstract

Twenty-seven unselected patients with limited disease non-oat-cell bronchogenic carcinoma were treated with a chemotherapy- radiotherapy protocol which consisted of bleomycin, vincristine, and methotrexate followed by split-course radiation. There were 15 objective responders with a median survival time in excess of 70+ weeks in contrast to a median survival time of 26 weeks for nonresponders (P less than 0.01). Objective benefit was limited to the epidermoid carcinoma group since none of the adenocarcinoma group achieved a greater than 50% reduction in maximum tumor diameter. The median survival time for the entire groups was 42 weeks in contrast to a recent split-course radiotherapy historical control group whose median survival time was 38 weeks. Toxic effects were predominantly gastrointestinal.