Consolidation Chemotherapy with Docetaxel after Platinum-Based Chemotherapy in Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Preliminary Report

BACKGROUND: The efficacy of second line chemotherapy for relapsed non small cell lung cancer has been established. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy and toxicity of maintenance therapy with docetaxel in patients with non-small cell lung cancer who were stabilized with first line chemotherapy and had good performance status before relapse. The primary objective was to determine one-year survival and the other objectives were evaluation of adverse effects and time to progression. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighteen patients with lung cancer were included in this study. All patients were at stage III and IV, without distant metastasis or neuropathy. All patients had been treated with platinum based regimen initially and were responsive or stable with no progression. The patients were treated with docetaxel 75 mg/m(2) for a total of 4 cycles repeated every 3 weeks. RESULTS: All patients accomplished 4 chemotherapy cycles and a total of 72 cycles were administered. The mean time of progression free survival (PFS) was 9-10 months and one- year survival (OS) was 94.4% without any significant adverse effect necessitating medical intervention. The mean survival time of patients was 18 (12-20) months. CONCLUSION: Using docetaxel as consolidation chemotherapy in patients with non small cell lung cancer can prolong time to progression of disease and probably patients’ survival without significant adverse effects or negative impact on the quality of life.