Klin Onkol 2003; 16(2): 68-73.
Summary: In the 1980s and 1990s platinum–based chemotherapy was shown to improve survival in patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC). Over the last decade a range of news agents has become available for treatment of patients with NSCLC. Docetaxel, in particular, is the first drug shown to be beneficial in the second–line setting. Used first line in NSCLC, single-agent docetaxel produces a pooled response rate of approximately 31% with median survival exceeding 9 months and 39% overall one-year survival.Used second-line, the response rate to single agent docetaxel inphase II trials is approximately 20%. In the trial docetaxel versus best supportive care, docetaxel 75 mg/m2 produced survival advantages compared with the control patients who received supportive care only. Docetaxel also has been extensively studied in combination regimens, particularly with cisplatin, carboplatin, gemcitabine and vinorelbine. These combinations have shown substantial activity. We present data supporting the use of weekly docetaxel and achieving toxicity benefits that are not bought at the expense of antitumor efficacy.
