Concurrent chemoradiotherapy with cisplatin and S-1 or vinorelbine for patients with stage III unresectable non-small cell lung cancer: A retrospective study

BackgroundConcurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) is the preferred treatment for stage III unresectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, there have been few reports on combination chemotherapy with radiation for second- and third-generation antitumor drugs, although clinical guidelines have recommended the use of these drugs along with platinum agents.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed the efficacy and toxicity of cisplatin and either S-1 or vinorelbine for treating stage III unresectable NSCLC patients who were treated with CCRT.ResultsBetween September 2006 and May 2014, 56 patients with unresectable stage III NSCLC were treated with CCRT with S-1 and cisplatin (median age: 63 years) and 58 patients were treated with CCRT with vinorelbine and cisplatin (median age: 61 years). The median follow-up time was 14.6 months in the S-1 arm and 28.0 months in the vinorelbine arm. We found no significant difference in progression-free survival (15.8 months vs. 10.1 months; p=0.15) and overall survival (33.7 months vs. 31.1 months; p=0.63) between the S-1 and vinorelbine arms, respectively. Severe (more than grade 3) leukopenia (35.7% vs. 98.2%; p<0.01), neutropenia (44.6% vs. 98.2%; p<0.01), and febrile neutropenia (1.8% vs. 46.6%, p<0.01) were significantly less frequent in the S-1 arm than in the vinorelbine arm. Treatment-related deaths were not observed in either arm.ConclusionsCCRT with both S-1 or vinorelbine with cisplatin appears feasible based on their efficacy and toxicity profiles. Both treatments may be recommended as treatment options for patients with stage III unresectable NSCLC.