cabazitaxel and Carcinoma--Large-Cell

Cabazitaxel, a semisynthetic microtubule inhibitor, has shown antitumour activity in models resistant to paclitaxel and docetaxel, and it has been approved for the treatment of docetaxel-resistant prostate cancer. We investigated its activity in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) progressing under or after docetaxel-based regimens.. Patients with locally advanced unresectable or metastatic NSCLC, with an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0-2, were enrolled; patients had to have received up to two prior chemotherapy regimens for the treatment of advanced disease, including one docetaxel-containing regimen. Treatment consisted of cabazitaxel (25 mg m(-2) intravenously, every 21 days) until disease progression. The primary end point was the overall response rate.. Among the 46 evaluable patients, 28.3% had squamous cell carcinoma and 54.3% had adenocarcinoma. Eight (17.4%) patients had received one and 38 (82.6%) two prior chemotherapy regimens. Treatment compliance was 95%; 26 (16%) cycles were delayed because of toxicity, (n=13) and dose reduction was required in 6 (13%) patients because of haematologic toxicity. Six (13%) patients achieved a partial response and 17 (37.0%) stable disease. The median progression-free survival and overall survival were 2.1 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.0-3.2) and 7.4 (95% CI: 5.2-9.6) months, respectively. Grade 4 adverse events included neutropenia (n=8; 17%), febrile neutropenia (n=6; 13%) and thrombocytopenia (n=3; 6.5%). There was one treatment-related death.. Cabazitaxel exhibits activity in NSCLC patients pre-treated with docetaxel-based chemotherapy with a substantial but manageable toxicity profile. The drug merits further evaluation in this indication.

Topics: Adenocarcinoma; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Carcinoma, Large Cell; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell; Disease-Free Survival; Docetaxel; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; Drug Substitution; Dyspnea; Fatigue; Female; Gastrointestinal Diseases; Greece; Hematologic Diseases; Humans; Kaplan-Meier Estimate; Lung Neoplasms; Male; Middle Aged; Taxoids; Treatment Outcome