Background & objective: Although previous studies showed that intravenous infusion chemotherapy combined with Taxol and cisplatin (DDP) can improve the effects of the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the results remained unsatisfactory because of the lower concentration of local chemotherapeutic agent. This study was designed to administrate the chemotherapeutic agents through the local artery and to evaluate the efficacy of the intraartery (IA) and the intravenous (i.v.) infusion chemotherapy combined Taxol with cisplatin (DDP) in the treatment of NSCLC.
Methods: Fifty-seven patients with advanced NSCLC were enrolled and randomized into two groups. Group A (27 patients) was given by IA chemotherapy consisting of Taxol 135 mg/m2 and DDP 80 mg/m2 within 3 hours in the first day. Group B (30 patients) was given by i.v. chemotherapy consisting of Taxol 135 mg/m2 and DDP 80 mg/m2 within 3 hours in the first day. The patients in two groups were repeatedly treated every 3-4 weeks for at least 2 cycles.
Results: The recent effect was evaluated by the CT or X-ray results. Of the 57 patients, 1 case acquired complete response, 29 partial response. The overall response rate was 52.63% with 66.67% (18/27) in group A and 40.00% (12/30) in group B. The median TTP was 5.5 months in group A and 4.0 months in group B. The median survival time was 13.5 months in group A and 10.5 months in group B. The 0.5, 1, 2, and 3-year survival rates were 85.18%, 66.67%, 48.15%, and 18.51% months in group A, respectively. The 0.5, 1, 2, and 3-year survival rates were 70.00%, 53.33%, 30.00%, and 6.67% months in group B, respectively. The main side effects were myelosuppression, gastrointestinal reactions and peripheral neuropathy. They could be effectively treated with large amount of vitamines, antacid, guastil, white blood cell stimulating drugs and liquid compensation.
Conclusion: The artery infusion Taxol and DDP chemotherapy is one of the useful methods in the treatment of NSCLC patients. The local response rate in the patients treated by IA may be higher than those treated by i.v.