Background: Taxanes have been widely used against advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), alone and in combination with platinum agents. In order to develop a tolerable palliative regimen, we combined carboplatin with low dose docetaxel.
Patients and methods: Chemotherapy-naive patients, with Stage IIIB or IV NSCLC and an ECOG performance status < or = 2, were enrolled. Treatment consisted of docetaxel 60 mg/m2 and carboplatin AUC 6 every 21 days. Therapy continued for 1 year or 6 months beyond best response, whichever was greater.
Results: Twenty-five patients were enrolled. Most patients (80%) had Stage IV disease. The partial response rate was 16%. Response duration ranged from 6 to 115 weeks. Median survival was 55 weeks. Toxicity was generally limited to grade 3 or 4 neutropenia. There was 1 septic death.
Conclusion: Survival compared favorably to other similar trials employing higher doses of docetaxel. Additionally, a hematologic toxicity advantage was seen compared to regimens containing higher doses of docetaxel.