1. ¹Istituto Oncologico Romagnolo-Santa Maria delle Croci Hospital, Ravenna, Italy
2. ²Institut Paoli Calmettes, Marseille, France
3. ³Centre for Cellular Transplantation, Wroclaw, Poland
4. ⁴Department of Hematology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Göteborg, Sweden
5. ⁵Medical University Hospital, St Petersburg, Russia
6. ⁶Department of Hematology, Ankara University Medical School, Ankara, Turkey

Correspondence: Dr U De Giorgi, Medical Oncology, Cancer Center, 'V Fazzi' Hospital, Via Muratore 1, Lecce 73100, Italy. E-mail: ugo_degiorgi@yahoo.com

Received 6 May 2007; Revised 23 August 2007; Accepted 24 August 2007; Published online 8 October 2007.

Abstract

We report the experience of the EBMT Solid Tumours Working Party (STWP) using high-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) with PBPC support in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Between 1989 and 2004, 36 NSCLC patients (27 men and 9 women), median age 53.5 years (range: 24–62) were treated with 63 HDCT courses. A high-dose carboplatin-based regimen was used in 53% of the cases. Thirty-two patients had relapsed/metastatic disease, while four classified as stage IIIB received HDCT followed by radiotherapy. No treatment-related death occurred. Of 25 patients who were planned to receive multi-cycle HDCT, 4 cases (16%) interrupted the treatment early due to prolonged severe toxicities and 4 (16%) due to progressive disease. Of 36 evaluable patients, 3 (8%) achieved a complete remission and 13 (36%) had a partial remission at an overall response rate of 44%. Of these, one patient with stage IIIB and one with stage IV are alive disease free at 71+ and 149+ months, respectively. After a median follow-up of 48 months (range: 6–149), median survival was 7 months (range: 1–149). Despite one anecdotal case, HDCT did not show significant activity, but induced relevant morbidity in NSCLC patients.