Abstract

A combination of cisplatin administered as a 24-hour infusion and fluorouracil administered as a 5-day infusion was used to treat 97 patients with non-small-cell lung (NSCLC) cancer in a phase II trial. Thirty patients had stage IIIB disease; 67 patients, stage IV disease (new international classification). Patients with stage IIIB disease also received thoracic radiation after chemotherapy. The regimen was well tolerated, with 24% or less grade 3 or greater toxicities of all types. One toxic death was attributed to fluid overload. The response rate, partial and complete, was 43% (95% confidence interval, 27% to 63%), and median survival was 13.8 months for patients with stage IIIB disease. Response rates refer to the chemotherapy response. For patients with stage IV disease, the response rate was 34% (95% confidence interval, 24% to 47%), and median survival was 6.2 months. On this regimen, stable-disease patients with stage IV disease had survivals at least equal to responders.