Phase II study of vindesine, cisplatin, and hexamethylmelamine (VCH) in small cell carcinoma of the lung

Forty-two patients with small cell carcinoma of the lung were treated with cycles given every 28 days consisting of a combination of vindesine (3 mg/m2 if on Days 1 and 15), cisplatin (75 mg/m2 iv on Day 1), and hexamethylmelamine (200 mg/m2 orally on Days 8-22). Thirty-four patients were evaluable for response. Partial remission (PR) or complete remission (CR) was noted in seven (three CRs and four PRs) of nine previously untreated patients (77%) and in eight (one CR and seven PRs) of 25 patients treated previously with intensive chemotherapy (32%). This drug combination deserves consideration for inclusion in sequential combination chemotherapy regimens.