Treatment of small cell lung cancer with VP-16, vincristine, doxorubicin (Adriamycin), cyclophosphamide (EVAC), and high-dose chest radiotherapy

Abstract

Seventy-one previously untreated patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) received a combination of VP-16, vincristine, doxorubicin (Adriamycin), and cyclophosphamide (EVAC) repeated every three weeks. Limited-disease (LD) patients and extensive-disease (ED) patients achieving a complete response (CR) or partial response (PR) after four to six cycles of EVAC received 4,000 rads over four weeks whole-brain radiotherapy (RT) and 5,000 rads over five weeks RT to the original pulmonary primary and mediastinum. ED patients with persisting disease outside the chest after six cycles of EVAC continued chemotherapy and did not receive RT. After RT was completed, EVAC was continued for a total treatment duration of 24 months. Of 65 patients evaluable for response 76% (25 of 33) of LD patients and 34% (11 of 32) of ED patients achieved a CR prior to RT; two additional ED patients achieved a CR after RT. Median survival for all 71 patients was 48 weeks (range, one to 207 weeks); median survival for 33 LD patients was 92 weeks and for 38 ED patients it was 36 weeks. Nine of 25 LD patients and 10 of 13 ED patients have relapsed from CR. The EVAC-RT protocol is promising in view of the high CR rate and long remission duration achieved, especially among patients with LD.