Radiation therapy combined with intraarterial chemotherapy of non-operable non-small cell lung carcinoma

The five years survival rates of patients with non-operable non-small cell lung carcinoma are between 6% and 9%. Multiple attempts have been made to improve the response rate and the survival of these patients with different chemo- and radiotherapy schemes. The systemic chemotherapy with cisplatin-vindesine is until now one of the most active treatments with a response rate of 40%, but it is limited because of its side effects and toxicity. Eleven patients are treated one to four times with an intraarterial infusion of 3 mg/m2 vindesine and 20 mg/m2 cisplatin into the tumor-feeding bronchial artery combined with a simultaneous radiotherapy (60 Gy). Until now no major side effects occurred and the systemic toxicity was insignificant. An objective tumor response was encountered in 7/11 patients. The intraarterial chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy is strictly local and therefore effective especially in patients with limited or locally advanced disease. (orig.)