Docetaxel (Taxotere®) plus cisplatin:: an active and well-tolerated combination in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer

The activity of the combination of intravenous docetaxel 75 mg/m(2) plus cisplatin 10 mg/m(2) administered every 3 weeks for 3 cycles then every 6 weeks was investigated in 51 chemotherapy naive patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The population was 92% male, with a median age of 54 years and median performance status of 1; 80% of patients had metastatic disease, including 37% with hone involvement. All patients received prophylactic premedication (ondansetron, dexamethasone plus cetirizine) and standard hyperhydration. With a median of 4 treatment cycles (range 1-9), 14 of 42 evaluable patients responded (overall response rate 33.3%, 95% CI 19.6-49.6%); the median response duration was 7.3 months, median survival 8.4 months, and 1-year survival rate 35%. The most common adverse event was neutropenia, occurring in two-thirds of patients. Neurosensory effects were cumulative hut generally mild. No treatment-related deaths occurred. This combination of docetaxel/cisplatin showed activity in advanced NSCLC, While it was not clearly superior to single-agent docetaxel, due to differences in prognostic factors among the patients in open trials, a randomised study would he needed to demonstrate definitively whether cisplatin adds to the activity of docetaxel or not. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.