Objective Although lung
squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) accounts for 20-30% of
lung cancer cases, new treatment options are limited. The CA031 study showed that nanoparticle
albumin-bound-paclitaxel (nab-PTX) plus
carboplatin produced a significantly higher overall response rate (41%) than
solvent-based
paclitaxel plus
carboplatin in patients with lung SCC. However, the safety and efficacy of
combination chemotherapy of nab-PTX and
carboplatin has not yet been established for patients with concurrent lung SCC and
idiopathic interstitial pneumonias (IIPs). The aim of this study was to assess the safety and efficacy profiles of nab-PTX and
carboplatin in patients with lung SCC and concurrent IIPs. Methods Eight patients with inoperable-stage lung SCC and IIPs were treated with nab-PTX plus
carboplatin in a first-line setting between June 2013 and December 2016. One of the eight was a woman, and the median age was 77 (range=72-80) years. Their clinical outcomes, including
chemotherapy-associated acute exacerbation of IIPs, were retrospectively investigated. Results The overall response rate was 50%, the median progression-free survival time was 5.6 months, and the median overall survival time was 8.1 months. No patients experienced
chemotherapy-related exacerbation of IIPs in the first-line treatment with nab-PTX plus
carboplatin. However, IIPs worsened in two of four patients who received second-line
chemotherapy. Conclusion
Combination chemotherapy of nab-PTX and
carboplatin may be an effective and safe treatment option for patients with inoperable lung SCC with IIPs. To confirm this, a large-scale prospective study is needed.