Second-Line Paclitaxel Effective in Advanced NSCLC

TOKYO—Weekly paclitaxel (Tax-ol) and carboplatin (Paraplatin) is an effective and well-tolerated second-line therapy in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who failed first-line therapy with the same agents, Mark A. Socinski, MD, said at the 9th World Conference on Lung Cancer. Dr. Socinski is director of the Multidisciplinary Thoracic Oncology Program, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

The 55 patients were first treated on a phase III trial designed to address the optimal duration of first-line paclitaxel/carboplatin. They were then split into three groups: (1) patients with refractory NSCLC who progressed after two cycles of first-line therapy, (2) patients who received four cycles of first-line therapy and were then observed until progression, and (3) patients who received continuous chemotherapy until progression.

Median survival from the start of second-line therapy was 6.6 months for all patients, with 1-year survival of 24%, Dr. Socinski said. Overall survival was affected by initial disease sensitivity with median survival for groups 1, 2, and 3 of 5.2, 10.0, and 5.3 months, respectively. The overall response rate to second-line therapy was 9%. There was no significant decrease in quality of life over the first 5 weeks of second-line therapy.