[The recent progress in chemoradiotherapy of lung cancer].

This is a review of the recent progress in chemoradiotherapy of locally advanced lung cancer. In the limited disease stage of small cell lung cancer, a meta-analysis showed patients treated with a combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy have a statistically significantly longer survival than those with chemotherapy alone. However, the timing of the combination of radiation and chemotherapy has not been clarified.

[Problems and recommendations for use of G-CSF in lung cancer patients with neutropenia after chemotherapy].

Reports are reviewed on G-CSF studies in neutropenia after lung cancer chemotherapy, especially randomized trials including our data. With preventive administration of G-CSF after dose-intensive chemotherapy in small-cell lung cancer, three studies showed that G-CSF shortened the duration of neutropenia, and reduced the incidence of neutropenic fever, the use of antibiotics and hospitalization with statistical significance, but showed no advantage in response rate or the incidence of infection-related death. And the effect on survival has not been proved clearly.

Phase II study of 3-hour infusion of paclitaxel in patients with previously untreated stage III and IV non-small cell lung cancer. West Japan Lung Cancer Group.

Sixty patients with previously untreated non-small cell lung cancer of stages III and IV were treated with a 210 mg/m2 dose of paclitaxel by means of a 3-hour infusion. The objective response rate was 32% (95% confidence interval, 20-45%): 1 complete response and 18 partial responses. The median duration of response was 15 weeks, and the projected median survival duration of all patients was 30 weeks.

[Correlation between the tumor marker Pro-GRP and prognosis in patients with small-cell lung cancer].

We studied 90 patients with small-cell lung cancer in whom levels of Pro-GRP were abnormally high before therapy. Changes in the serum Pro-GRP level have been said to correlate strongly with therapeutic responses in patients with small-cell lung cancer. We found that changes in the serum Pro-GRP level (half-life > or = 30 vs < 30 days) were a significant prognostic factor.

Prognostic factors and prognostic staging system for small cell lung cancer.

This study was performed to assess the prognostic factors and the predictors of long-term (3-year) survival in patients with small cell carcinoma of the lung, accrued in one randomized trial, and to define patient subgroups showing significantly different survivals using recursive partitioning and amalgamation analysis. A total of 300 patients with small cell carcinoma of the lung were entered into a randomized study comparing cyclophosphamide, adriamycin and vincristine (CAV), cisplatin and etoposide (PE) and alternating treatments of CAV and PE. Of these, 286 patients were analysed for the present study of prognostic factors.

Cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy for elderly patients with non-small-cell lung cancer.

Purpose: To compare the response rates, toxicities and survival durations of elderly patients (70 years of age or more) with those of younger patients (less than 70 years of age) with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with cisplatin-based chemotherapy.

Patients And Methods: We analyzed retrospectively the data of 203 assessable patients entered on a prospective randomized trial of cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy. Chemotherapy consisted of three dosage regimens: (1) vindesine and cisplatin (VP); (2) mitomycin, vindesine and cisplatin (MVP); or (3) etoposide and cisplatin alternating with vindesine and mitomycin (EP/VM).

A pilot study of concurrent whole-brain radiotherapy and chemotherapy combined with cisplatin, vindesine and mitomycin in non-small-cell lung cancer with brain metastasis.

We have evaluated the feasibility, toxicity, and tumour response of concurrent whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT) and chemotherapy with cisplatin, vindesine and mitomycin in the treatment of 33 patients with brain metastasis from non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The imaging response demonstrated that 25 patients (75.8%) responded to brain lesions, including five complete responders, and the response rate to primary lesion was 18%.

A case of malignant pleural mesothelioma with metastasis to the orbit.

A 58-year-old woman with malignant mesothelioma metastatic to the orbit is reported. Malignant pleural mesothelioma was diagnosed by pleural biopsy. Marked reduction of pleural effusion was obtained with intrapleural interleukin-2 therapy.

Randomized study of vinorelbine (VRB) versus vindesine (VDS) in previously untreated stage IIIB or IV non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The Japan Vinorelbine Lung Cancer Cooperative Study Group.

Purpose: We compared the activity of vinorelbine (VRB) and vindesine (VDS) in a randomized crossover study in patients with previously untreated stages IIIB or IV non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Patients And Methods: Two hundred four patients were assessable for response and toxicity. VRB was administered at a dose of 25 mg/m2 weekly and VDS at a dose of 3 mg/m2 weekly.

Phase II study of vinorelbine in heavily previously treated small cell lung cancer. Japan Lung Cancer Vinorelbine Study Group.

Twenty-four previously treated patients with refractory or relapsed small cell lung cancer (SCLC) were entered into a prospective, multicenter phase II study. All 24 patients had been pretreated with some form of cisplatin-based chemotherapy. The median time of chemotherapy was 4.

Endobronchial electrocautery using snare.

Between May 1987 and March 1994, upper airway and tracheobronchial electrosurgery with snare was performed in 13 patients (10 men and 3 women), ranging in age from 18 to 87 years. Four patients had benign lesions, and nine had malignant tumors. Total eradication has been achieved in the two patients with benign lesions.

Clinical study in 11 cases of endobronchial foreign body.

We report 11 cases of endobronchial foreign body. From January 1982 through December 1994, a total of 11 cases were diagnosed roentogenographically and bronchoscopically at our hospital. These patients consisted of 10 men and 1 woman with a mean age of 58.

[Photodynamic therapy of centrally located early-stage lung cancer].

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) with photofrin II and excimer dye laser has an excellent effect on patients (pts) with centrally located early-stage lung cancer with a limited tumor length of 1 cm or less and a clearly visible tumor margin. Further, to expand the therapeutic area of PDT to these early-stage lung cancers, it is necessary to exploit more powerful laser equipment and more sensitive sensitizers. Also, it is essential in the decision to treat early-stage lung cancer to evaluate whether PDT can be used as an effective alternative therapy to surgery in patients with operable centrally located early-stage lung cancer.

Angiomatous lesions in the wall of chronic pyothorax.

Formation of massive hematoma in the cavity of chronic pyothorax (CP) has been described previously, but its mechanism remained unclear. In the present study of 99 cases, the vascular lesions in the wall of CP were examined by histological methods, including immunohistochemistry. The age of patients ranged from 42 to 80 years (mean 57 years), with a male to female ratio of 3.

Phase II study of concurrent radiotherapy and chemotherapy for unresectable stage III non-small-cell lung cancer. Southern Osaka Lung Cancer Study Group.

Purpose: To evaluate the response rate, toxicity, and 2-year survival rate of concurrent radiotherapy and chemotherapy for unresectable stage III non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Patients And Methods: Between July 1989 and October 1990, 65 patients with histologically or cytologically proven unresectable stage III NSCLC without T3N0-1M0 disease were entered onto this study. Sixty-one patients were eligible for response, survival, and toxicity analysis.

[A late phase-II trial comparing KW-2307 with vindesine in non-small cell lung cancer (1). Lung cancer section in KW-2307 Study Group].

A multicenter cooperative study was performed to compare KW-2307 (KW), a novel vinca alkaloid (VA) derivative, and vindesine (VDS), with respect to tumor response and toxicity in patients (pts) with non-small cell lung cancer. In the former part of the trial, pts received monotherapy with KW 25 mg/m2 or VDS 3 mg/m2. Pts refractory to treatment with KW or VDS were crossed over to treatment with VDS (3 mg/m2/W x 3) or KW (20 mg/m2/W x 3), respectively, in combination with cisplatin (CDDP) 80 mg/m2.

A phase II study of vinorelbine, a new derivative of vinca alkaloid, for previously untreated advanced non-small cell lung cancer. Japan Vinorelbine Lung Cancer Study Group.

To evaluate the effectiveness of vinorelbine (NVB) in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), a late Phase II study was conducted. A total of 80 patients with Stage III or IV NSCLC who had no previous therapy were entered into the study. Seventy-nine patients were eligible for response and toxicity.

Coexistence of paraneoplastic sensory neuronopathy and Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome in a small cell lung cancer patient.

The present report is on a 72-year-old male patient with combined paraneoplastic sensory neuronopathy (PSN) and Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS) with small cell lung cancer. He noticed a painful paresthesia of the legs which advanced over seven days, and both hands became numb and painful. Three months later, he was found to have small cell lung cancer by mediastinoscopic examination.

Role of radiotherapy in combined modality treatment of locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.

Purpose: For patients with locally advanced (stage III) non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), radiotherapy (RT) has been used conventionally for many years. Few prospective trials have determined the role of RT. Recently, chemotherapy (CT) has been shown to produce excellent responses in regionally advanced disease.

A prospective phase II study on photodynamic therapy with photofrin II for centrally located early-stage lung cancer. The Japan Lung Cancer Photodynamic Therapy Study Group.

Purpose: A phase II study was conducted between June 1989 and February 1992 to evaluate the activity and toxicity of photodynamic therapy (PDT) with photofrin II in centrally located early-stage lung cancer and to determine the complete response (CR) rate as the primary end point.

Patients And Methods: Patients had histologically proven lung cancer and endoscopically superficial thickening or small protrusions. All lesions were located in subsegmental or larger bronchi.

[A phase II clinical study of cis-diammine glycolato platinum, 254-S, for primary lung cancer].

A phase II clinical study of 254-S, a new anticancer platinum complex, for primary lung cancer was conducted by the 254-S Lung Cancer Study Group consisting of 15 institutions nation-wide. Considering the results of the phase I clinical study, 254-S was administered at 100 mg/m2 by intravenous drip infusion and this administration was repeated at least 2 times at 4-week intervals. Of 75 patients registered, 61 patients consisting of 22 with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and 39 with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were evaluable for complete tumor response.

[Photodynamic therapy of roentgenographically occult lung cancer].

Between December 1983 and August 1990 25 patients (a total of 29 carcinomas) with roentgenographically occult lung cancer were treated by PDT at National Kinki Central Hospital for Chest Diseases. A complete remission (CR) occurred in 21 carcinomas (72%). Of 19 carcinomas with tumor length of 1 cm or less, 17 ones (89.

Platinum/oral etoposide therapy in non-small cell lung cancer.

Encouraging response rates have been observed with long-term daily administration of oral etoposide to treat lung cancer. Reasons why EP (etoposide/cisplatin) has been used to treat non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), despite the fact that etoposide has demonstrated only a modest degree of activity against this disease, are preclinical suggestions of cisplatin/etoposide synergism and successful results for the combination in treating small cell lung cancer (SCLC). We evaluated a long-term daily oral etoposide regimen in combination with cisplatin for NSCLC.

A randomized study of cisplatin versus cisplatin plus vindesine for non-small cell lung carcinoma.

Between August 1983 and March 1985, a randomized study was conducted that compared cisplatin (CDDP) (80 mg/m2 on day 1) alone with CDDP plus vindesine (VDS) (3 mg/m2 on days 1, 8, and 15) in 160 consecutive patients with inoperable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). There were no complete responses. The response rate for CDDP plus VDS (22 of 77 patients, 29%) was significantly higher than that for CDDP alone (9 of 78 patients, 12%) (P less than 0.