Evaluation of the Efficacy and Safety of the Combination of Gemcitabine and Nedaplatin for Elderly Patients with Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer

Objective: The aim of the present study was to retrospectively assess the safety and efficacy of the combination of gemcitabine and nedaplatin in elderly patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: Patients 6 75 years with previously untreated NSCLC who underwent chemotherapy consisting of gemcitabine (800 mg/m(2) on days 1 and 8) and nedaplatin (80 mg/m(2) on day 1) every 3 weeks were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Of the 35 patients, 28 were men and 7 were women, with a mean age of 78 years (range 75-87); 10 patients had stage IIIB disease and 25 patients had stage IV disease. The overall response rate was 45.7% (95% confidence interval 28.8-63.4). The median survival time was 14 months (range 3-44). Grade 3-4 toxicities included neutropenia in 74.3%, thrombocytopenia in 48.6%, anemia in 34.3%, hepatic dysfunction in 11.4%, and infection in 2.9%. There were no treatment-related deaths. There were no differences in response rate and survival between patients aged 75-79 years and patients >= 80 years, although grade 3-4 thrombocytopenia and anemia were significantly more frequent in patients >= 80 years. Conclusion: Our results suggest that the combination of gemcitabine and nedaplatin is effective and well tolerated for selected elderly patients with advanced NSCLC. Copyright (C) 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel