Phase II trial of carboplatin plus oral etoposide for elderly patients with small-cell lung cancer.
A phase II trial was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of the Egorin's carboplatin dosing formula with 14-day oral etoposide in 38 elderly patients with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). The overall response rate was 81%. Median survival times were 15.1 months for 16 limited-disease (LD) and 8.6 months for 22 extensive-disease (ED) patients. Myelosuppression was the principal side-effect. This regimen is an active regimen in the treatment of elderly SCLC patients.