Jean-Marie Boher | PubMed Health

PubMed2003

[Small cell lung carcinoma].

In most of the cases, small cell lung cancer is diagnosed at the extensive disease stage. Regarding the micrometastatic process, it might be considered as a metastatic disease in almost all cases. Therefore, chemotherapy is the cornerstone of small cell lung cancer therapy. Cisplatin and VP-16-based combinations are recommended. Chemotherapy alone remains the only recommended therapy in extensive disease, whereas radiochemotherapy is the treatment of limited disease. Concomitant or alternate modalities are acceptable standards in this latter setting. Prophylactic cranial irradiation is recommended for complete responders with initially limited disease.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗

PubMed2003

Neuroendocrine and cytokeratin serum markers as prognostic determinants of small cell lung cancer.

This retrospective study aimed at determining the prognostic significance of neuroendocrine markers chromogranin A (CgA), pro-gastrin releasing peptide (ProGRP) and neuron-specific enolase (NSE), together with the cytokeratin 19 marker CYFRA 21-1 in small cell lung cancer (SCLC). A total of 148 histologically proven and previously untreated SCLC patients were included. Among them 118 patients received a cisplatin-etoposide combination or cisplatin-etoposide-cyclophosphamide-4'-epidoxorubicin combination. All tumour markers were tested using immunoradiometric assays except for ProGRP which was tested using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The thresholds for marker serum titrations were 53 pg/ml, 65, 17, and 3.6 ng/ml for ProGRP, CgA, NSE and CYFRA 21-1 respectively. Univariate analysis showed that patients affected by one of the following characteristics proved to have a significant shorter survival in comparison with the opposite status of each variable: age over 63 years, extensive-stage, serum LDH level higher than 600 U/l, serum NSE level higher than 17 ng/ml, serum CgA level higher than 65 ng/ml and serum CYFRA 21-1 level higher than 3.6 ng/ml. In addition, there was a trend towards a statistical significance for a high serum alkaline phosphatase level and a performance status equal to or worse than two. The following variables were independent determinants of a poor outcome: a poor performance status (hazard ratio [95% confidence interval]: 1.51 [1.02-2.22]), a high CgA level (HR: 1.61 [1.06-2.45]), a high CYFRA 21-1 level (HR: 2.10 [1.40-3.14]) and an age older than 63 years (HR: 1.68 [1.14-2.48]). When the multivariate analysis was restricted to patients receiving a cisplatin-etoposide-based chemotherapy, the same variables were prognostic determinants with nearly similar hazard ratios. In conclusion, aside classical variables such as age and performance status, high serum CYFRA 21-1 and high serum CgA level in SCLC are both prognostic determinants of prognosis, in particular in patients receiving conventional chemotherapy consisting of cisplatin and etoposide-based combinations.

Adult↗