ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Pemetrexed, a multitargeted antifolate drug, is an active agent in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), especially adenocarcinomas. Based on preclinical data supporting the relevance of alpha-folate receptors in adenocarcinoma of the bronchioloalveolar carcinoma (BAC) subtype, this trial was designed to assess pemetrexed in patients with this pathologic subtype of lung adenocarcinoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with histologically confirmed stage IIIB (with malignant pleural effusion) or stage IV adenocarcinoma with BAC features or pure BAC were eligible. Treatment consisted of pemetrexed, 500 mg/m(2), administered intravenously every 21 days. RESULTS: Of 27 patients enrolled, 24 were eligible and assessable for adverse events: Toxicity was primarily hematologic, consisting of leukopenia/neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and anemia. The median follow-up among patients still alive (n = 8) was 35 months (range, 26-47 months). Among 17 patients with measurable disease, the response rate was 23% (all partial responses; 95% confidence interval [CI], 10%-56%). The median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 6 and 25 months, respectively. CONCLUSION: Pemetrexed is active and well tolerated and, in patients with adenocarcinoma BAC subtypes, likely related to its underlying mechanism of action as a multitargeted antifolate drug.
Subject(s)
Adenocarcinoma, Bronchiolo-Alveolar/drug therapy , Adenocarcinoma/drug therapy , Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic/therapeutic use , Glutamates/therapeutic use , Guanine/analogs & derivatives , Lung Neoplasms/drug therapy , Adenocarcinoma/mortality , Adenocarcinoma/pathology , Adenocarcinoma, Bronchiolo-Alveolar/mortality , Adenocarcinoma, Bronchiolo-Alveolar/pathology , Administration, Oral , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Guanine/therapeutic use , Humans , Lung Neoplasms/mortality , Lung Neoplasms/pathology , Male , Middle Aged , Neoplasm Staging , Pemetrexed , Prognosis , Survival RateABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Malignant tumors of the salivary gland are rare entities that are treated primarily by surgical resection. For patients with recurrent or unresectable disease, options include radiation therapy or chemotherapy; however, responses are few and of short duration. Patients with metastatic disease have been treated with chemotherapy, but, again, response rates have been low and of short duration. METHODS: A 52-year-old man was seen with a mass on his tongue. A biopsy revealed adenocarcinoma of a minor salivary gland. Ten months after surgical resection, neck dissection, and radiation therapy, the patient was found to have metastatic disease to the lung. Chemotherapy was initiated with carboplatin and paclitaxel. RESULTS: The patient obtained a complete response after six cycles of carboplatin and paclitaxel. CONCLUSIONS: The use of carboplatin and paclitaxel in the setting of metastatic salivary gland cancer is a viable option.
