Adjuvant chemotherapy following radical surgery for non-small cell lung cancer: A randomized study

Abstract

To evaluate the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy after radical surgery for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Seventy patients with NSCLC(stage I-III) undergone radical surgery were randomized into two groups: 35 patients received adjuvant chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide (CTX) 300 mg/m2, vincristine(VCR) 1.4 mg/m2, adriamycin(ADM) 50 mg/m2, d1; cisplatin (PDD) 20 mg/m2, d1-5, for 4 cycles, and followed by oral ftorafur (FT-207) 600-900 mg/d for 1 year (adjuvant chemotherapy group). The other 35 patients received surgical treatment only (surgery group). The overall 5-year survival rate was 48.6% in the adjuvant chemotherapy group, and 31.4% in the surgery group, respectively. The difference between the two groups was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). The 5-year survival rate of patients in atage III was 44.0% and 20.8% (5/24) received surgery with and without adjuvant chemotherapy, respectively. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P < 0.025). The 5-year survival rate of patients in stage I-II in the two group was 60.0% and 54.5%, respectively (P > 0.75). Postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy in NSCLC improves survival but only in patients in stage III, it results in significantly higher 5-year susvival rate than surgery alone.