Vinorelbine, ifosfamide and cisplatin in advanced non-small cell lung cancer

[Evaluation of combined chemotherapy with vinorelbine, ifosfamide and cisplatin in the treatment of metastatic non-small cell bronchial carcinoma]

INTRODUCTION

In France, cancer of the bronchus is responsible for 25,000 deaths per year. Non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) represents 80% of bronchial carcinoma of which 40-50% are mefastatic at the time of diagnosis. At present, although the therapeutic benefits are modest, it is now recognised that combination chemotherapy including platinum salts improves the survival of these patients.

METHODS

We analysed retrospectively a cohort of 57 patients suffering from stage IV NSCLC treated with chemotherapy combining cisplatin (80 mg/rn2 on day 1), vinorelbine (25 mg/rn2 on days 1 and 8) and ifosfamide (3000 mg/in 2 on day 1), (NIP), repeated every 21 days.

RESULTS

The population studied comprised 6 women and 51 men, of average age 59.8 +/- 9.1 years. A history tobacco use (smokers and ex-smokers) was identified in 93%. The WHO performance index was equal to or greater than 2 in 22.8%. All patients were studied in terms of toxicity and overall survival but only 40 (70%) were able to be evaluated in terms of response to treatment (on account of having received more than three cycles of NIP chemotherapy). For the group considered as a whole, the median survival was 6.7 months with a one year survival of 24.5%. Median survival without progression was 4.4 months. The most frequent toxicities were haematological and digestive. They were most common among patients over the age of 70 but had no effect on median survival. For the 40 patients for whom chemotherapy was evaluable, the objective response rate was 20%. This objective response was the only factor that was signiticantly correlated with one year survival: 62.5% in responders, 28.1% in non-responders (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Treatment of stage IV NSCLC with NIP chemotherapy is effective and improves the survival of these patients independently of other prognostic factors such as age, the presence of cerebral metastases, performance status, histological type, the number of metastatic sites or the serum LOH level.

Ifosfamide in non-small cell lung cancer

In recent years the role of chemotherapy in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has been well established. Ifosfamide is an old drug still considered an effective cytostatic agent in the treatment of NSCLC. As a single agent, it has showed a response rate of 20-25%. These results are improved when it is used in combination with cisplatin and mitomycin C. Moreover, in recent years, several new drugs like gemcitabine, taxanes and vinorelbine have been identified, and combinations of two or three drugs have been tested in patients with advanced NSCLC. This paper reviews the main studies recently conducted for the treatment of NSCLC, considering the results obtained by ifosfamide alone and in combination. Three-drug regimens including first-generation cytostatic agents achieve a response rate of about 40% and median survival of 10 months. In combinations with new drugs, ifosfamide shows an improvement in response rate (50%) with a median survival of more than 1 year. Open questions in the treatment of NSCLC are whether three-drug are better than two-drug combinations, and whether cisplatin is still required.

GLOB-1: a prospective randomised clinical phase III trial comparing vinorelbine-cisplatin with vinorelbine-ifosfamide-cisplatin in metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer patients

BACKGROUND

The standard doublet, vinorelbine-cisplatin, was compared with a triplet of vinorelbine-ifosfamide-cisplatin, in terms of survival, in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

From February 1998 to June 1999, 259 chemonaïve patients entered the study and were randomised to receive either vinorelbine-cisplatin (NP; vinorelbine 30 mg/m(2) on days 1, 8 and 15 with cisplatin 80 mg/m(2) on day 1) or vinorelbine-ifosfamide-cisplatin (NIP; vinorelbine 25 mg/m(2) on days 1 and 8, ifosfamide 3 g/m(2) on day 1 and cisplatin 75 mg/m(2) on day 1), with both regimens being repeated every 3 weeks. All patients had stage IV or relapsed disease and a performance score of 0 or 1.

RESULTS

The overall response rate was 34.6% for NP and 35.7% for NIP. Median and 1-year survival rates were 10.0 months and 38.4% for NP, and 8.2 months and 33.7% for NIP, respectively. A median of four cycles was administered in each arm. The major World Health Organization grade 3-4 toxicities for NP and NIP, respectively, were: neutropenia (20.3% compared with 9% of cycles), anaemia (4.1% compared with 5% of cycles), nausea and vomiting (22.2% compared with 19.4% of patients) and alopecia (5.6% compared with 29.8% of patients). Four toxic deaths occurred in the NP arm and eight in the NIP arm.

CONCLUSIONS

The different schedules of vinorelbine in the two arms led to a greater survival in the NP arm without impairing the tolerance profile, although this is not statistically significant. This confirms that the two-drug combination NP is a reference treatment for metastatic NSCLC. The role of three-drug combinations remains questionable in this subset of patients.

Developments in cytotoxic chemotherapy: advances in treatment utilising vinorelbine

Vinorelbine is a third generation vinca alkaloid which has been in clinical development for 15 years. Recent exploration of its pre-clinical activity has revealed unexpected evidence of potential synergy with taxane compounds and early clinical results support the suggestion of enhanced efficacy particularly in breast cancer. The initial studies establishing the clinical activity of vinorelbine in breast cancer and non-small cell lung cancer have been extended to encompass a thorough evaluation of its contribution to combination chemotherapy for these disorders. In the treatment of breast cancer useful activity has been established for vinorelbine in combination with anthracyclines, anthracenediones, antimetabolites and the taxanes; additive toxicity is not a limiting factor. The activity of vinorelbine in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer is significantly extended by incorporation into schedules utilising cisplatin and other agents. Vinorelbine has also demonstrated useful activity in the treatment of a wide range of other malignancies including prostatic carcinoma, multiple myeloma, cancer of the ovary, cervix and head and neck and malignant lymphomas.

Vinorelbine, ifosfamide and cisplatin as first-line treatment in patients with inoperable non-small cell lung cancer

To assess, in a multicenter setting, the effectiveness of a combination of vinorelbine, ifosfamide and cisplatin in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer, 123 patients (males=116) with a mean age of 60 years (range 27-75) with stage IIIb/IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and performance status <or=2 were treated with vinorelbine (VNR; 25 mg/m(2)) on days 1 and 8; ifosfamide (IFO; 3 g/m(2)) on day 1; and cisplatin (CDDP; 80 mg/m(2)) on day 1, in repeated cycles of 21 days. Response rates, overall patient survival and toxicity profiles of the three-drug combination were assessed. The number of evaluable patients was 112, with a total of 441 cycles administered (mean=3.6 cycles/patient). Dose intensities (mg/m(2)/week; calculated in patients who concluded the proposed treatment and expressed as mean, median, and standard deviation) were: VNR 13.65, 13.32, 4.7; IFO 918.88, 868.97, 258.1; CDDP 23, 24.68, 6.98. Response rates were: complete response=3 (2.4%); partial response=58 (47.2%%); stable disease=20 (16.3%). The most frequent toxic events were nausea and vomiting (G1=33%, G2=31%, G3=8%). Neutropenia was the dose limiting toxicity (G1=6%, G2=11%, G3=10%, G4=7%). Alopecia G3 was a common undesirable effect in all the patients. Time to progression was 296 days (95% confidence interval 261-332) and the mean survival time was 338 days (95% CI 301-374). We conclude that the described therapeutic schedule is effective with good survival rates and response ratios together with a good tolerance and an acceptable toxicity level.

Phase II study with gemcitabine, ifosfamide and cisplatin in advanced non-small cell lung cancer

The aim of the present study was to determine the clinical activity and toxicity of a novel chemotherapy combination regimen of gemcitabine, ifosfamide and cisplatin (GIP), administered every 3 weeks, in patients with inoperable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). From October 1998 to July 1999, 18 previously untreated stages IIIb (4) and IV (14) patients were enrolled into the study. Gemcitabine and ifosfamide (with mesna as uroprotection) was administered on days 1 and 6, at a dose of 1000 and 1500 mg/m2, respectively; and cisplatin was given on day 1 at a dose of 60 mg/m2, every 3 weeks. All 18 patients were evaluable for response and toxicity profiles. One patient achieved a complete response, and II patients achieved a partial response, with an overall response rate of 66.7% (95%, CI, 45-89%). The main toxicity was hematological, a NCI grade 3-4 neutropenia in 16 patients (88.9%) during the treatment course. Febrile neutropenia occurred in three patients (16.6%). Grade 3 anemia occurred in eight patients (44.41%) and grade 3-4 thrombocytopenia occurred in 11 patients (61.1%). Non-hematological toxicity was mild and tolerable. No toxic death occurred. The median survival was 12.7 months and 1 year survival was 58.4%. The GIP combination chemotherapy produced a high response rate in advanced NSCLC; however, there was a relatively high percentage of hematological toxicity that still could be tolerated. A randomized trial comparing GIP to a two-drug combination of gemcitabine and cisplatin is planned.

Novel combination chemotherapy in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer

Treatment of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains a vexing problem and long-term survival beyond 5 years is extremely rare. Five new agents, paclitaxel, docetaxel, vinorelbine, gemcitabine and irinotecan, have been introduced for the treatment of NSCLC and investigated extensively both preclinically and clinically. Monotherapy with one of these agents has produced survival benefits over the best supportive care in Phase III studies. Combination chemotherapy with a new agent and platinum produced a higher response rate than conventional cisplatin-based chemotherapy and improved survival was observed in some randomised trials. There was little difference in efficacy and toxicity between the chemotherapeutic regimens with a new agent and a platinum in Phase III trials, suggesting the clinical utility of these regimens is similar. Many trials have focused on regimens containing two new agents, with or without platinum. Preliminary results of Phase III trials of three drug combinations versus two drug combinations suggested the former to be more promising, in terms of response rates and survival. Whether the era of platinum-based chemotherapy in the treatment of NSCLC should continue or not must be determined by Phase III trials, evaluating the use of a platinum agent with one of the new agent combinations. These aggressive chemotherapeutic combinations will hopefully improve survival and quality of life for patients with advanced NSCLC.

Induction chemotherapy followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy in stage III unresectable non-small cell lung cancer

The favourable experience with the combination regimen of vinorelbine, ifosfamide and cisplatin (NIP) in patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has led to a protocol assessing this regimen as an induction treatment in patients with stage III unresectable NSCLC, followed by thoracic radiotherapy with concurrent daily cisplatin as a radiosensitizer. Two cycles of NIP were administered 21 days apart; each cycle comprised i.v. vinorelbine 25 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8, i.v. ifosfamide 3 g/m2 on day 1 with MESNA as uroprotection, and i.v. cisplatin 50 mg/m2 on day 1. Radical thoracic radiotherapy commenced on day 43 to a total dose of 64 Gy and i.v. cisplatin 6 mg/m2 was given concurrently prior to each fraction of radiation as a sensitiser. Two more cycles of NIP were given to patients who responded favourably to the induction treatment about 2 weeks after completion of radiation. Between July 1995 and July 1997, 44 patients were treated with this protocol. This treatment schedule was generally well tolerated. Grade 3-4 neutropenia occurred in 50% of the patients and neutropenic sepsis was seen in 8. Grade 3-4 oesophagitis was uncommon. Most of the patients were able to complete the induction and concurrent chemoradiotherapy phase. Major response occurred in 75% of the patients with 2 (4.5%) complete responses (CR). A total of 6 patients achieved CR after chemoradiotherapy. At a median follow-up of 35 months, the median overall survival for all patients was 15 months with a 3-year survival rate of 24%. The median overall survival for stage IIIA patients was 19 months with a 3-year survival rate of 39% in contrast to 13 months' median overall survival and only 15% 3-year survival rate for stage IIIB. The NIP regimen results in a high response rate in NSCLC and this treatment programme seems to benefit selected patients with stage III disease.