AUTOLOGOUS BONE-MARROW TRANSPLANTATION IN THE THERAPY OF SMALL CELL-CARCINOMA OF THE LUNG

  • 1 January 1982
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 42  (10) , 4270-4275
Abstract
Ten patients with small cell carcinoma of the lung were entered into a chemotherapeutic treatment program consisting of cyclophosphamide, vincristine, adriamycin and 1-(2-chloroethyl)-3-cyclohexyl-1-nitrosourea. Two courses of combination chemotherapy were administered to each patient followed by a 3rd course with the same doses of drugs used on course 2 but with autologous bone marrow transplantation given 24-48 h after drug infusion. No differences could be detected between courses 2 and 3 in terms of the magnitude, timing or degree of myelosuppression. Serial bone marrow biopsies documented a progressive decline in granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming units in culture per mg bone marrow medullary core from 138 .+-. 179 (SD) prior to chemotherapy to 7 .+-. 11 after the marrow transplant recovery (P = 0.05). Autologous bone marrow transplantation apparently does not reduce the myelosuppression seen following the drugs used in this study at the dosages used. Autologous bone marrow transplantation may be useful only in the setting of marrow lethal therapy. Its usefulness in shortening recovery time from nonlethal therapy appears questionable.