Skip to main content
PMC home page
British Journal of Cancer logoLink to British Journal of Cancer
. 1989 Feb;59(2):254–256. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1989.52

High dose etoposide for brain metastases of small cell lung cancer. A phase II study. The EORTC Lung Cancer Cooperative Group.

P E Postmus 1, H Haaxma-Reiche 1, D T Sleijfer 1, A Kirkpatrick 1, J G McVie 1, J P Kleisbauer 1
PMCID: PMC2246989  PMID: 2539174

Abstract

Symptomatic brain metastases are found in about 40% of patients with small cell lung cancer. Cranial irradiation is the first line treatment for this form of metastatic disease. Frequently brain metastases recur after this treatment or develop after prophylactic cranial irradiation. For these patients no effective antitumour therapy is available. In this study the efficacy of high dose etoposide 1.5 g m-2 was evaluated. In 10 (43%) out of 23 evaluable patients a response was seen. Toxicity was severe with five aplasia-related deaths. For palliative purposes this regimen is too toxic in heavily pretreated patients.

Full text

PDF
256

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Baglan R. J., Marks J. E. Comparison of symptomatic and prophylactic irradiation of brain metastases from oat cell carcinoma of the lung. Cancer. 1981 Jan 1;47(1):41–45. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19810101)47:1<41::aid-cncr2820470109>3.0.co;2-m. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bunn P. A., Jr, Nugent J. L., Matthews M. J. Central nervous system metastases in small cell bronchogenic carcinoma. Semin Oncol. 1978 Sep;5(3):314–322. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Cohen M. H., Ihde D. C., Bunn P. A., Jr, Fossieck B. E., Jr, Matthews M. J., Shackney S. E., Johnston-Early A., Makuch R., Minna J. D. Cyclic alternating combination chemotherapy for small cell bronchogenic carcinoma. Cancer Treat Rep. 1979 Feb;63(2):163–170. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Cox J. D., Komaki R., Byhardt R. W., Kun L. E. Results of whole-brain irradiation for metastases from small cell carcinoma of the lung. Cancer Treat Rep. 1980 Aug-Sep;64(8-9):957–961. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Creaven P. J. The clinical pharmacology of VM26 and VP16-213. A brief overview. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol. 1982;7(2-3):133–140. doi: 10.1007/BF00254535. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Giaccone G., Donadio M., Bonardi G. M., Testore F., Calciati A. Teniposide (VM26): an effective treatment for brain metastases of small cell carcinoma of the lung. Eur J Cancer Clin Oncol. 1988 Apr;24(4):629–631. doi: 10.1016/0277-5379(88)90291-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Kleisbauer J. P., Vesco D., Orehek J., Blaive B., Clary C., Poirier R., Saretto S., Carles P., Dongay G., Guerin J. C. Treatment of brain metastases of lung cancer with high doses of etoposide (VP16-213). Cooperative study from the Groupe Franais Pneumo-Cancérologie. Eur J Cancer Clin Oncol. 1988 Feb;24(2):131–135. doi: 10.1016/0277-5379(88)90243-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Kristjansen P. E., Hansen H. H. Brain metastases from small cell lung cancer treated with combination chemotherapy. Eur J Cancer Clin Oncol. 1988 Mar;24(3):545–549. doi: 10.1016/s0277-5379(98)90035-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Nugent J. L., Bunn P. A., Jr, Matthews M. J., Ihde D. C., Cohen M. H., Gazdar A., Minna J. D. CNS metastases in small cell bronchogenic carcinoma: increasing frequency and changing pattern with lengthening survival. Cancer. 1979 Nov;44(5):1885–1893. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(197911)44:5<1885::aid-cncr2820440550>3.0.co;2-f. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Postmus P. E., Holthuis J. J., Haaxma-Reiche H., Mulder N. H., Vencken L. M., van Oort W. J., Sleijfer D. T., Sluiter H. J. Penetration of VP 16-213 into cerebrospinal fluid after high-dose intravenous administration. J Clin Oncol. 1984 Mar;2(3):215–220. doi: 10.1200/JCO.1984.2.3.215. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Postmus P. E., Mulder N. H., Sleijfer D. T., Meinesz A. F., Vriesendorp R., de Vries E. G. High-dose etoposide for refractory malignancies: a phase I study. Cancer Treat Rep. 1984 Dec;68(12):1471–1474. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Journal of Cancer are provided here courtesy of Cancer Research UK

RESOURCES