Amrubicin monotherapy for elderly patients with relapsed extensive‐disease small‐cell lung cancer: A retrospective study

• Published in: Thoracic cancer 2018-10, Vol.9 (10), p.1279-1284
• Main Authors: Sone, Hideyuki, Igawa, Satoshi, Kasajima, Masashi, Ishihara, Mikiko, Hiyoshi, Yasuhiro, Hosotani, Shinji, Ohe, Shuntaro, Ito, Hiroki, Kaizuka, Nobuki, Manaka, Hiroya, Fukui, Tomoya, Mitsufuji, Hisashi, Kubota, Masaru, Katagiri, Masato, Sasaki, Jiichiro, Naoki, Katsuhiko
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abdomen; Aged patients; Amrubicin; Cancer; Cancer therapies; Chemotherapy; Development and progression; Drug dosages; elderly patient; Lung cancer; Lung cancer, Small cell; Medical prognosis; Medical records; Metastasis; Neutropenia; Neutrophils; NMR; Nuclear magnetic resonance; Older people; Oncology, Experimental; Original; Patients; Response rates; small‐cell lung cancer; Studies; Tumors
• ISSN: 1759-7706; 1759-7714
• DOI: 10.1111/1759-7714.12833

Background Previous studies have shown amrubicin (AMR) to be an effective second‐line treatment option for small‐cell lung cancer (SCLC). However, the efficacy of AMR in elderly patients with relapsed SCLC has not been sufficiently evaluated. Methods The medical records of elderly patients with relapsed SCLC who received AMR as second‐line chemotherapy were retrospectively reviewed, and their treatment outcomes were evaluated. Results Thirty‐one patients with a median age of 72 years (22 patients with sensitive relapse and 9 with refractory relapse) were analyzed. The median number of treatment cycles was four (range: 1–10), and the response rate was 29%. The median progression‐free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 5.4 and 11.6 months, respectively. The OS of 22 patients who received third‐line chemotherapy was 15.5 months. The PFS (6.2 vs. 3.2 months; P = 0.002) and OS (14.8 vs. 5.7 months; P = 0.004) were significantly longer in patients with sensitive relapse than those with refractory relapse. The frequency of grade 3 or higher neutropenia was high (n = 18, 58%), while febrile neutropenia was only observed in five patients (16%). Non‐hematological toxic effects were relatively mild, and pneumonitis and treatment‐related deaths were not observed. Conclusion AMR may be a feasible and effective regimen for elderly patients with relapsed SCLC.