Introduction: Monotherapy with a third generation anticancer agent has been regarded as the standard therapy for elderly patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, it is unclear whether elderly patients with a good performance status can tolerate platinum-doublet chemotherapy like younger patients.
Methods: A combination phase I/II study was conducted in chemo-naive elderly patients with NSCLC to establish the toxicity and maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and to investigate the antitumor activity of carboplatin (CBDCA) plus gemcitabine (GEM). GEM was infused on days 1 and 8, and CBDCA on day 1 every 3 weeks.
Results: Seventy-five patients were enrolled. The most frequent toxicities were hematological, especially thrombocytopenia. Three of three patients experienced a dose-limiting toxicity at dose level 3: 1000 mg/m(2) GEM with AUC 5 CBDCA (MTD), and one of seven patients at level 2a: 1000 mg/m(2) GEM with AUC 4 CBDCA (recommended dose). In the phase II study, the overall response rate was 22.2% and the median overall survival time was 14.2 months.
Conclusions: Although the recommended dosage is restricted to a lower level compared to younger patients, combination therapy using CBDCA with GEM is tolerable and promising for elderly patients with advanced NSCLC.
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