Clinical comparative investigation of efficacy and toxicity of cisplatin plus gemcitabine or plus Abraxane as first-line chemotherapy for stage III/IV non-small-cell lung cancer

Dan Ai,1,2 Yan Guan,2 Xiu-Ju Liu,2 Chu-Feng Zhang,1,2 Peng Wang,1,2 Hong-Lu Liang,1,2 Qi-Sen Guo2 1School of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Jinan-Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, China; 2Shandong Cancer Hospital affliated to Shandong University, Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China Purpose: The purpose of this study was to observe the clinical efficacy and toxicity of cisplatin in combination with gemcitabine or Abraxane as first-line chemotherapy for stage III/IV non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).Patients and methods: A total of 200 patients with advanced NSCLC, which was confirmed by pathology or cytology, were enrolled into our research by reviewing previous complete and retrievable medical records data of our hospital. A total of 100 patients were treated with gemcitabine (1,000 mg/m2, day 1 and day 8) in combination with cisplatin (75 mg/m2, days 1–3; GP group) and another 100 patients were treated with Abraxane (260 mg/m2, day 1) in combination with cisplatin (75 mg/m2, days 1–3; TP group). Twenty-one days were required to complete one cycle; at least two cycles were completed by each group.Results: For the 100 patients in the GP group, the effective response rate (RR) was 27%, the disease control rate (DCR) was 63%, and the median progression-free survival (PFS) time was 8 months. For the 100 patients in the TP group, the RR was 52%, the DCR was 75%, and the median PFS was 20 months. There was significant difference in RR (P0.05). Common treatment-related adverse events were hematologic toxicity and gastrointestinal reaction. Hematologic toxicity mainly included decreased white blood cells and platelets. The differences between the two groups were statistically significant (P0.05). For the 115 patients with adenocarcinoma in the TP group, the RR was 47%, the DCR was 73%, and the median PFS was 8 months. For the 115 patients with adenocarcinoma in the GP group, the RR was 20%, the DCR was 64%, and the median PFS was 20.5 months. There was significant difference in RR (P=0.003), but no significant difference in DCR and PFS (P>0.05).Conclusion: The efficacy of cisplatin in combination with Abraxane is better than that with gemcitabine in the treatment of NSCLC, and the treatment has less risk of hematologic toxicity. Keywords: cisplatin, Abraxane, gemcitabine, advanced non-small-cell lung cancer, chemotherapy