Stage IIIB/IV untreated/relapsed patients with NS NSCLC received a 3-week cycle of pemetrexed 500 mg/m² and cisplatin 75 mg/m² on day 1 (arm A) or oral vinorelbine 80 mg/m² on days 1 and 8 (first cycle 60 mg/m²) and cisplatin 80 mg/m² on day 1 (arm B). After 4 cycles, patients without disease progression received single-agent maintenance treatment with pemetrexed or oral vinorelbine.
Overall, 153 patients were randomized (arm A/arm B: 51/102). Disease control rate (%) for arm A was 76.5 (95% confidence interval [CI], 62.5-87.2) and for arm B it was 75.0 (95% CI, 65.3-83.1), Response rates for arm A were 31.4% (95% CI, 19.1-45.9) and for arm B were 24.0% (95% CI, 16.0-33.6). Median progression-free survival for arm A was 4.3 months (95% CI, 3.8-5.6) and for arm B it was 4.2 months (95% CI, 3.6-4.7). Median survival for arm A was 10.8 months (95% CI, 7.0-16.4) and for arm B it was 10.2 months (95% CI, 7.8-11.9). Main grade 3/4 hematologic toxicities were neutropenia 18.3% (arm A) and 44.0% (arm B), whereas febrile neutropenia was reported in 2% of patients in each arm.
Oral vinorelbine and cisplatin had an efficacy in line with that achieved with a standard treatment such as pemetrexed and cisplatin, coupled with an acceptable safety profile.