Efficacy and safety of endostar combined with chemotherapy as first-line treatment for advanced squamous lung cancer

Abstract

Objective To assess the efficacy and safety of endostar combined with chemotherapy as first-line treatment for advanced squamous lung cancer. Methods Seventy-two patients with advanced squamous were retrospectively analyzed. Of the 72 patients, 35 patients treated by chemotherapy and endostar were selected as combination group, and 37 patients treated by chemotherapy were selected as into control group. The efficacy, incidences of adverse reactions and progression-free survival (PFS) of the two groups were analyzed and compared. Results In combination group, there were 19 cases (54.3%) of partial remission (PR), 6 cases (17.1%) of stable disease (SD), and 10 cases (28.6%) of progressive disease (PD); in control group, there were 14 cases (37.8%) of PR, 10 cases (27.1%) of SD, and 13 cases (35.1%) of PD, and there was no significant difference in clinical efficacy between combination group and control group (P=0.351). The disease control rate (DSR) of combination group (71.4%) was higher than that of control group (64.9%), but the difference was not significant (P=0.363); the objective response rate (ORR) of combination group (54.3%) was higher than that of control group (37.8%), P=0.023; median progression-free survival (mPFS) of combination group (7.0 months) was higher than that of control group (5.5 months), P=0.030. The main adverse reactions were hematologic toxicity and gastrointestinal symptoms, and no major hemoptysis or uncontrollable adverse reactions occurred. Incidences of adverse reactions were compared between the two groups, the difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05). Conclusions Endostar is safe and effective for patients with squamous lung cancer. Compared with the standard first-line treatment, endostar can prolong the mPFS, improve the ORR, without increasing the incidence of adverse reactions. Key words: Squamous lung cancer; Endostar; First-line treatment