Chemotherapy in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. The experience of Italian Cooperative Groups.

The clinical experience of Italian Cooperative Groups in the treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer began in the early 1980's with several phase II trials on cisplatin-etoposide (PE) combination. PE was chosen and widely used also in neoadjuvant trials on the basis of several randomized studies showing a favourable safety-efficacy profile of this combination with respect to other chemotherapy regimens. Recently, in order to improve therapeutic results in NSCLC the Italian Oncology Group for Clinical Research compared PE versus mitomycin, ifosfamide and cisplatin (MIC) and mitomycin, vindesine and cisplatin, the three-drug regimens most widely used in clinical trials. This trial showed a significant difference in response rate and a survival benefit for MIC and MVP; therefore, we considered MIC or MVP as the reference treatment is advanced NSCLC.