Addition of S-1 to cisplatin plus radiotherapy ‘favourable’ in NSCLC

In continuation of my update on cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil derivative S-1v

Research suggests that treatment with cisplatin plus S-1 together with thoracic radiotherapy is relatively efficacious and tolerable in patients with locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Although cisplatin-based chemotherapy with thoracic radiotherapy is a standard treatment for unresectable, locally advanced NSCLC, the outcomes are not satisfactory, explain Katsuyuki Hotta, from Okayama University Hospital in Japan, and colleagues. They investigated the effect of adding the 5-fluorouracil derivative S-1 to the standard treatment in a phase II trial, the primary endpoint of which was the response rate.

A total of 48 patients with stage III NSCLC received cisplatin plus S-1 (at a dose of 40 mg/m2 twice daily from days 1–14 and 29–42 of treatment) with concurrent thoracic irradiation, of whom 37 had a partial response, giving an overall response rate (ORR) of 77%.

Addition of S-1 to cisplatin plus radiotherapy ‘favourable’ in NSCLC