Docetaxel in neoadjuvant therapy of early-stage non-small cell lung cancer

The combination of docetaxel and cisplatin is one of the standard chemotherapy regimens which has been shown to improve survival and quality of life in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Docetaxel has therefore been administered by several groups in the neoadjuvant setting in stage-III disease. In combination with cisplatin, the response rate, the complete resection rate and the pathological response rate were similar as in other regimens, postoperative morbidity and mortality, however, seemed reduced when compared with combinations including mitomycin C. Furthermore, there was an association of the chemotherapy activity in mediastinal lymph nodes of patients with a NSCLC ( stage IIIA) and overall survival. Based on these results, the cytostatic combination of docetaxel/cisplatin has been chosen for further use in large randomized studies.