Abstract
Seventeen elderly patients with advanced progressive non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were treated with oral etoposide at the daily dose of 100 mg for 14 days every 3-4 weeks with pharmacokinetic monitoring. One partial response and 6 stabilizations were documented with a median overall duration of 13 weeks (range 8-32). The median survival was 24 weeks with an apparent advantage for non-progressive patients (40 weeks vs. 18 weeks). The treatment was well tolerated especially by those patients without concomitant illness, suggesting the crucial role of a careful selection of the geriatric population. Toxicity was not related to the etoposide plasma level, but was clearly dependent on comorbidity. A geriatric assessment rather than chronological age therefore appears to be more reliable in the selection of elderly patients for clinical trials. The easy self-management, favorable toxicity profile and synergy with other compounds makes oral etoposide suitable for further clinical- pharmacological studies in elderly patients.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 188-191 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Journal of Chemotherapy |
Volume | 18 |
Issue number | 2 |
Publication status | Published - Apr 2006 |
Keywords
- Elderly
- Etoposide
- Non-small cell lung cancer
- Pharmacokinetics
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Microbiology (medical)
- Pharmacology (medical)