Pre-operative chemotherapy for stage IIIa (N2) non-small cell lung cancer

From June 1990 to December 1993, 36 patients were enrolled in a phase II study, aimed at determining the feasibility of surgery, patterns of disease recurrence and survival after neoajuvant chemotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) stage IIIA-N2. Twenty-seven patients underwent invasive staging procedures (i.e. mediastinoscopy or needle biopsy). Two CHT schedules were used. Cisplatin (P) 90 mg/mq, day 1, mitomycin (M) 6 mg/mq, day 1, and vindesine (V) 5 mg/mq, days 1, 8, 15, were administered every 3 weeks for 3 cycles in the first 20 patients. The last 16 patients were treated with cisplatin (P) 90 mg/mq, day 1, mitomycin (M) 6 mg/mq, day 1, and vinorelbina 20 mg/mq, days 1, 8, 15. Thoracotomy was performed 15–20 days after haematological recovery in the objective-responders. Thirty-two patients were evaluable for response to CHT. The overall objective response (OR) rate was 78.1%. There were three complete (CR) (9.4%) and 22 partial responses (PR) (68.7%). The 25 patients with OR underwent radical surgery (16 pneumonectomies, one bilobectomy, seven lobectomies and one wedge resection). The only morbidity reported was a late broncho-pleural fistula (on post-operative day 37). There were three post-operative deaths in patients who underwent pneumonectomy: two due to an empyema following a broncho-pleural in fistula and one by pulmonary embolism. Histology was negative for the three CRs. Six patients with residual nodal involvement at surgery underwent radiotherapy. Relapse occurred in seven resected patients. Presently 14 patients are alive, all but one being disease-free, with a median follow-up of 30.5 months (15–47). Median survival was 31 months (5–47). Actuarial 3-year survival rate is 49%. Our results confirm the high response rate of CHT, as well as the feasibility and the overall low complication rate of both treatments (CHT and surgery).