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Ifosfamide, Carboplatin, and Etoposide With Midcycle Vincristine Versus Standard Chemotherapy in Patients With Small-Cell Lung Cancer and Good Performance Status: Clinical and Quality-of-Life Results of the British Medical Research Council Multicenter Randomized LU21 Trial

From the Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Unit, London; the Christie and Wythenshawe Hospital National Health Service Trusts, Manchester; and the Clatterbridge Hospital, Bebington, United Kingdom

Address reprint requests to Richard Stephens, Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Unit, 222 Euston Rd, London NW1 2DA, United Kingdom; e-mail: rs{at}ctu.mrc.ac.uk

PURPOSE: Ifosfamide, carboplatin, etoposide, and vincristine, alone and in combination, are highly active against small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). This trial was designed to investigate whether survival could be improved by a regimen of all four drugs (ICE-V) compared with standard chemotherapy in patients with SCLC and good performance status, and to assess the patients’ quality of life (QL).

PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients were randomly assigned to receive six cycles of either ICE-V at 4-week intervals without dose reduction or standard chemotherapy administered according to local practice. The recommended standard control regimens were cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and etoposide; and cisplatin and etoposide.

RESULTS: A total of 402 patients were randomly assigned, and 350 (87%) patients have died. Overall survival was longer in the ICE-V group (hazard ratio, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.60 to 0.91; P = .0049), median survival was 15.6 months in the ICE-V group and 11.6 months in the control group, and 2-year survival rates were 20% and 11%, respectively. There was no evidence that the relative survival benefit for ICE-V was less in extensive-stage than in limited-stage patients. An increased rate of septicemia was reported in the ICE-V group (15% v 7% in the control group), but this did not result in an increase in reported treatment-related deaths (four patients [2%] in both groups). The findings on QL were broadly similar in both groups, with some benefit in favor of ICE-V.

CONCLUSION: Compared with standard chemotherapy, the ICE-V regimen improves overall survival without QL penalties, despite an increased but manageable level of toxicity.

Supported by the British Medical Research Council. Asta Medica provided partial funding for data collection.

Authors’ disclosures of potential conflicts of interest are found at the end of this article.

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