© 2003 by Oxford University Press
Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Vol. 95, No. 5, 341-343,
March 5, 2003
© 2003 Oxford University Press
EDITORIAL |
Chemotherapy for Elderly Patients With Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer
Affiliations of authors: P. A. Bunn, Jr., University of Colorado Cancer Center, Denver, CO; R. Lilenbaum, Mt. Sinai Cancer Center, Miami Beach, FL.
Correspondence to: Paul A. Bunn, Jr., M.D., Grohne/Stapp Professor and Director, University of Colorado Cancer Center, Denver, CO 80262.
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
In this issue of the Journal, Gridelli et al. (1) present the results of a randomized three-arm trial that compared a two-drug combination of vinorelbine plus gemcitabine to either agent alone in elderly (aged 70 years or older) patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The authors report that there were no efficacy differences between either of the single agents and the two-drug combination. Surprisingly, the rates of grade 3–4 neutropenia were highest in patients treated with single-agent vinorelbine. Other toxicity rates were higher in patients treated with the two-drug combination arm than in patients treated with either of the single agents. This study raises two important questions: Should elderly patients with advanced NSCLC be offered therapy and if so, then which therapy?
The median age of newly diagnosed lung cancer patients in developed countries is approximately 68 years, and as many as 40% of patients may be
META-ANALYSES
POPULATION SURVEYS
RANDOMIZED TRIALS IN ELDERLY PATIENTS
COOPERATIVE GROUP ANALYSES
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