Abstract:

Objective To compare the clinical efficacy and adverse effects of the combination of irinotecan and cisplatin （IP） with the combination of etoposide and cisplatin（EP） as first-line therapy regimen for extensive-disease small cell lung cancer （ED-SCLC）. Methods ED-SCLC patients were assigned to receive IP（n =25；150 mg/m² irinotecan on day l and 30 mg/m² cisplatin on days 1-3） or EP（n=25； 60 mg/m² etoposide on days 1-5 and 30 mg/m² cisplatin on days 1-3）. Treatments were repeated every 3 weeks for a total of 4 cycles. Clinical efficacy and adverse effects were assessed every 2 cycles. Results Response rates（RR） were 72% with IP and 64% with EP （P=0.544）. The two regimens were associated with a similar rate of hematologic toxicity（P>0.05），while the IP regimen was associated with a significantly higher rate of diarrhea（P=0.002）. Conclusion Clinical efficacy may be similar for IP and EP as first-line therapy for ED-SCLC，and adverse effects appear to be tolerable in both cases.

Key words: Lung neoplasm, Irinotecan, Etoposide, Cisplatin, Chemotherapy, Efficacy