Effect of Platinum Combined with Irinotecan or Paclitaxel against Large Cell Neuroendocrine Carcinoma of the Lung

• Published in: Japanese journal of clinical oncology Vol. 37; no. 7; pp. 482 - 486
• Main Authors: Fujiwara, Yutaka, Sekine, Ikuo, Tsuta, Koji, Ohe, Yuichiro, Kunitoh, Hideo, Yamamoto, Noboru, Nokihara, Hiroshi, Yamada, Kazuhiko, Tamura, Tomohide
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Oxford University Press 01.07.2007; Oxford Publishing Limited (England)
• Subjects: Aged; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic - administration & dosage; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols - therapeutic use; Camptothecin - administration & dosage; Camptothecin - analogs & derivatives; Carcinoma, Large Cell - drug therapy; Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine - drug therapy; chemotherapy; Cisplatin - administration & dosage; Etoposide - administration & dosage; Female; Humans; irinotecan; large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma; lung cancer; Lung Neoplasms - drug therapy; Male; Middle Aged; paclitaxel; Paclitaxel - administration & dosage; Retrospective Studies; Taxoids - administration & dosage; Vinblastine - administration & dosage; Vinblastine - analogs & derivatives; lung cancer; paclitaxel; irinotecan; chemotherapy; large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma
• ISSN: 0368-2811; 1465-3621; 1465-3621
• DOI: 10.1093/jjco/hym053

Background The efficacy of chemotherapy in patients with large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the lung (LCNEC) remains unclear. Methods Of 42 consecutive patients with LCNEC, 22 with measurable disease receiving chemotherapy were enrolled as the subjects of this study. The clinical characteristics and objective responses to chemotherapy in these patients were analysed retrospectively. Results The distribution of the disease stage in the patients consisting of 21 males and one female (median age: 67 years; range: 47–78 years) was as follows: stage IIB (n = 1), stage IIIA (n = 1), stage IIIB (n = 5), stage IV (n = 8), and post-operative recurrence (n = 7). Chemotherapy consisted of cisplatin and irinotecan (n = 9), a platinum agent and paclitaxel (n = 6), paclitaxel alone (n = 1), cisplatin and vinorelbine (n = 1), cisplatin and docetaxel (n = 1), and a platinum and etoposide (n = 4). The objective response rate in the 22 patients was 59.1% (95% CI, 38.1–80.1). An objective response was obtained in five of the nine patients receiving irinotecan and five of the seven patients receiving paclitaxel. The progression-free survival, median overall survival and 1-year survival rates were 4.1 months (95% CI, 3.1–5.1), 10.3 months (95% CI, 5.8–14.8) and 43.0% (95% CI, 20.7–65.3), respectively. The median overall survival of the patients treated with irinotecan or paclitaxel was 10.3 months (95% CI, 0–21.8), and the 1-year survival rate of these patients was 47.6% (95% CI, 20.4–74.8). Conclusion Our results suggest that irinotecan and paclitaxel may be active against LCNEC.