Oral vinorelbine plus cisplatin with concomitant radiotherapy as induction therapy for stage III non-small cell lung cancer: Results of a single-arm prospective cohort study.

Background: Concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) is an optimal recommended treatment for stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Herein, we aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of oral vinorelbine plus cisplatin with concomitant radiotherapy for stage III NSCLC.

Methods: This prospective, open-label, single-arm, observational cohort study was performed between January 2010 and September 2016. Patients were treated with two cycles of chemotherapy with 60 mg/m2 intravenous cisplatin on day 1 and 50 mg/m2 oral vinorelbine on days 1, 8, and 15; radiotherapy was administered concurrently from day 1 when chemotherapy was initiated. A total dose of 66-70 Gy radiotherapy was delivered in daily fractions of 2 Gy for 6.5-7 consecutive weeks. The tumor response was assessed after completing concomitant treatment.

Results: A total of 58 patients were enrolled and analyzed; 31 patients had stage IIIA NSCLC and 27 had stage IIIB NSCLC. After induction CCRT, 31 patients achieved an objective response (complete response in one and partial response in 30; the response rate was 53.4%). The median progression-free survival was 6.73 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.42-7.91), duration of response was 12.30 months (95% CI, 5.59-19.01), and overall survival was 24.83 months (95% CI, 19.26-30.21). No treatment-related mortality was observed, and neutropenia was the most common grade 3 and 4 treatment-related toxicity (11 patients; 18.9%).

Conclusions: CCRT with the weekly regimen of oral vinorelbine plus triweekly cisplatin was effective and safe for stage III NSCLC.