ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The current study aimed to investigate the clinical efficacy of paclitaxel combined with avastin for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients diagnosed with malignant pleural effusion (MPE). METHOD: Total of 33 patients diagnosed with NSCLC as well as malignant pleural effusion were included. All of them received paclitaxel (175 mg/m2) and avastin (5 mg/kg). Clinical efficacy was evaluated using the total response rate, overall survival, progression-free survival and changes in MPE volume. Adverse events and rates of toxicities were examined as well. RESULTS: The total response rate reached 77% while the overall survival and the median progression-free survival were respectively 22.2 months and 8.4 months. Toxicities of grade 3-4 consisted of neutropenia in 57% of patients, anemia in 17% of them, febrile neutropenia in 11%, as well as anorexia in 7%. No treatment-correlated deaths were found. CONCLUSION: Paclitaxel combined with avastin decreased MPE volume and increased survival rate of NSCLC patients via inhibiting vascular endothelial growth factor expression.
Subject(s)
Angiogenesis Inhibitors/therapeutic use , Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic/therapeutic use , Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use , Bevacizumab/therapeutic use , Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/drug therapy , Lung Neoplasms/drug therapy , Paclitaxel/therapeutic use , Adult , Aged , Angiogenesis Inhibitors/adverse effects , Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic/adverse effects , Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/adverse effects , Bevacizumab/adverse effects , Disease-Free Survival , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Paclitaxel/adverse effects , Pleural Effusion, Malignant/drug therapy , Quality of Life , Safety , Survival Analysis , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
Summary Objective: The current study aimed to investigate the clinical efficacy of paclitaxel combined with avastin for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients diagnosed with malignant pleural effusion (MPE). Method: Total of 33 patients diagnosed with NSCLC as well as malignant pleural effusion were included. All of them received paclitaxel (175 mg/m2) and avastin (5 mg/kg). Clinical efficacy was evaluated using the total response rate, overall survival, progression-free survival and changes in MPE volume. Adverse events and rates of toxicities were examined as well. Results: The total response rate reached 77% while the overall survival and the median progression-free survival were respectively 22.2 months and 8.4 months. Toxicities of grade 3-4 consisted of neutropenia in 57% of patients, anemia in 17% of them, febrile neutropenia in 11%, as well as anorexia in 7%. No treatment-correlated deaths were found. Conclusion: Paclitaxel combined with avastin decreased MPE volume and increased survival rate of NSCLC patients via inhibiting vascular endothelial growth factor expression.
