Analysis of continuous first-line treatment with docetaxel and carboplatin for advanced non-small cell lung cancer

The present study aimed to analyze the efficacy and safety of multiple cycles of docetaxel and carboplatin (CBDCA) as a first-line treatment in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Patients with stage III or IV NSCLC, whose treatment began between July 1999 and February 2003, were retrospectively evaluated. Relatively low doses of docetaxel and CBDCA were administered for as many cycles as possible. The primary outcome assessed was the overall survival (OS) time, and the secondary outcomes included progression-free survival (PFS) time, response rate (RR) and adverse events. The median cycle number was four (range, 2–12). The median OS time was 400 days, and for adenocarcinoma and non-adenocarcinoma, the OS time was 490 and 192 days, respectively. The median PFS time was 176 days and the RR was 66.7%. The main toxicity of the treatment was neutropenia, with grade 3 or 4 neutropenia occurring in 81.0% of patients. Continuous first-line treatment with this regimen may have encouraging effects within a certain group of advanced NSCLC patients, thereby warranting further investigations.