Projects / Programmes
Multimodality treatment for lung cancer
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 3.04.00 |
Medical sciences |
Oncology |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| B520 |
Biomedical sciences |
General pathology, pathological anatomy |
| B200 |
Biomedical sciences |
Cytology, oncology, cancerology |
lung cancer, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, radiosensitisation
Researchers (11)
Organisations (2)
Abstract
According to incidence and mortality, lung cancer ranks first among all malignant tumors and remains an important health problem. The last decade brought important advances in treatment of non-small cell lung cancer. In chemotherapy, favourable experience with the drugs of the third generation (gemcitabine, taxanes, vinorelbine) has been confirmed in dozens of trials; in radiotherapy, there is clear evidence of the benefits of conformal radiotherapy and of hyperfractionated accelerated irradiation. A critical assessment of the optimal ways of combining radiotherapy and chemotherapy is urgently needed. During the years 1999-2001, our group has completed a Phase I-II trial of combined treatment programme with gemcitabine, cisplatin and hyperfractionated accelerated irradiation. On the basis of this experience, a Phase II trial with minor modifications of the treatment programme is now proposed. The treatment programme includes induction chemotherapy with gemcitabine and vincristine, local treatment (hyperfractionated accelerated radiotherapy with low-dose gemcitabine as radiosensitiser) and consolidation treatment (gemcitabine and cisplatin). After one year, the experience will be evaluated. The trial will then proceed as a Phase III randomised trial when the aforementioned programme of combined treatment will be compared to standard radiotherapy in combination with cisplatin. We believe that the results will open new ways for the treatment of locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer. The experience may have implications also for the treatment of operable lung cancer and for design of clinical trials of combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy for other malignancies.
