Bolus versus 5-day continuous infusion of cisplatin with mitomycin and vindesine in the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): a phase III prospective randomised trial of the Italian Oncology Group for Clinical Research (GOIRC)

Abstract

The aim of this randomised trial was to compare the efficacy of bolus versus continuous infusion cisplatin combined with mitomycin C and vindesine (MVP) for chemotherapy-naive patients with stage IIIB–IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). 97 patients (49 given bolus cisplatin—arm A and 48 given continuous infusion cisplatin—arm B) were evaluable for response. In arm A, 2 patients achieved a complete response (CR), 21 achieved a partial response (PR), whilst in arm B, 14 patients achieved a PR (29%) ( P=0.07). Median survival was 8 months in both arms. Myelosuppression was the most frequent and severe toxicity, with a higher incidence of grade 3–4 leucopenia in arm A when compared with arm B (44% versus 25%). In conclusion, there is no advantage for a cisplatin 5 day infusion in the MVP regimen.