Between 10% and 25% of newly diagnosed stage IIIB/stage IV patients currently receive single agent chemotherapy regimens. A significant proportion of these patients will be elderly (70 years of age) and many oncologists would consider intravenous vinorelbine or gemcitabine to be the standard of care in this patient population. It has been demonstrated that single agent vinorelbine offers therapeutic advantages to selected NSCLC patients over best supportive care alone. Carboplatin plus Alimta have an acceptable toxicity profile and few clinical problems so it could be acceptable its use in elderly patients. A randomised study is being performed therefore to assess whether progression free survival, the primary efficacy endpoint for this study, achieved with Carboplatin plus Alimta is superior than achieved with gemcitabine, one of the current standards of care in elderly patients with advanced NSCLC.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
108
Patients will receive Pemetrexed intravenous infusion (i.v.) via infusion pump or gravity drip, at a dose of 500 mg/m2 (over a target of 10 minutes). Pemetrexed should be administered every 21 days on the same day. Patients will receive carboplatin intravenous continuous infusion (i.v.) over 30 minutes via infusion pump or gravity drip, at a dose of AUC5. Carboplatin should be administered every 21 days on the same day.
Patients will receive gemcitabine 1250 mg/m2 as a 30 minutes intravenous infusion on days 1 and 8 and of a 21-day cycle.Patients may continue to receive gemcitabine for up to a maximum of 6 cycles.
Istituto Clinco Humanitas
Rozzano, Milan, Italy
Evaluate Progression Free Survival of Carboplatin plus Alimta vs gemcitabine in chemonaive, elderly stage IIIB-IV NSCLC patients.
Time frame: Efficacy after the inclusion of the last patient
Overall Survival Quality of life
Time frame: After the follow up period
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