Interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) are frequently associated with lung cancer. The safety of carboplatin plus paclitaxel in combination with bevacizumab (CP-B) in patients with ILD and lung cancer (ILD-LC) remains to be clarified. In the present study, the safety and efficacy of CP-B treatment in ILD-LC patients were retrospectively investigated. Four patients, who completed CP-B therapy, were included in this study. The dose of carboplatin was the area under the curve 5, paclitaxel was 200 mg/m2 and bevacizumab was 15 mg/kg at treatment initiation. The patients were males, had histologically confirmed adenocarcinoma, were smokers and demonstrated non-usual interstitial pneumonia (non-UIP) patterns on computed tomography (CT). Patients received 1-6 cycles of CP-B therapy. Three of the four patients received maintenance bevacizumab therapy for 3-10 cycles. Only one patient demonstrated a partial response. Neutropenia was the most frequent adverse event. One patient experienced gut perforation during the first course of CP-B. No pulmonary toxicity was observed. Thus, treatment of ILD-LC patients with CP-B was not associated with pulmonary toxicity, however, this study population appeared to be at a low risk.
Keywords: bevacizumab; interstitial lung disease; lung cancer; pneumonitis.