ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: The poor survival rates among patients receiving surgery alone for stages II and III non-small cell lung cancer prompted several trials of adjuvant therapy after resection. We performed a prospective phase II study in patients with stage II-IIIA non-small cell lung cancer after resection to evaluate the feasibility, activity and toxicity of the postoperative sequential MVP chemotherapy and radiotherapy. METHODS: Between February 1991 and May 1995, 60 patients with resected stage II, IIIA non-small cell lung cancer received 2 cycles of MVP combination chemotherapy (Mitomycin-C 6 mg/m2, Vinblastine 6 mg/m2, Cisplatin 60 mg/m2) within 3 weeks after surgery, followed by thoracic irradiation (5,040 cGy after complete resection and 900 cGy booster to microscopically positive resection margin at 1.8 Gy per fraction) within 3-4 weeks after chemotherapy. RESULTS: Forty nine men and 11 women with a median age of 60.5 years (range 33-81 years) were included. During the median follow-up period of 828 days (61-2,015 days), 25 patients had developed recurrence. Among the 25 failures, 3 were local relapse only and 20 were distant metastasis only and 2 had both local and distant sites of recurrence. Three-year overall survival and event-free survival were 43% and 37%, respectively. Neutropenia of grade I-II was observed only in 13 patients. Eleven patient showed grade I-II radiation pneumonitis and 32 had grade I-II radiation esophagitis. CONCLUSION: Postoperative sequential MVP chemotherapy and radiotherapy in resected stage II-IIIA non-small cell lung cancer is well-tolerated and shows interesting activity.