Cisplatin, vindesine and bleomycin (CVB) combination chemotherapy of advanced non-small cell lung cancer

Fifty-four patients with advanced squamous, large-cell or adeno-carcinoma of the lung were treated with a three drug regimen of high-dose cisplatin, vindesine and a four-day bleomycin infusion (CVB). All patients had measurable disease; none had previously received chemotherapy. Of 52 patients evaluable for response, 20 (38%) had complete or partial remissions. The median duration of remission was 8 months (range, 6 1/2-19+ months), with eight patients continuing in remission. The median duration of survival for responding patients was 16 months versus five months for nonresponding patients (P greater than 0.001). Toxicity included mild to moderate myelosuppression, peripheral neuropathy, and nephrotoxicity, and was generally manageable. The addition of a four-day bleomycin infusion did not appear to offer a significant advantage over the combination of high-dose cisplatin and vindesine in the treatment of NSCLC. The response rate and survival duration produced by the CVB protocol were similar to those reported for the two-drug combination of vindesine and high-dose cisplatin.