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High‐dose methotrexate with leucovorin rescue in patients with unresectable non‐small cell carcinoma of the lung
Author(s) -
Brower Martin,
Carney Desmond N.,
Ihde Daniel C.,
Eddy Joyce,
Bunn Paul A.,
Cohen Martin H.,
Pelsor Francis R.,
Matthews Mary J.,
Minna John D.
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(19831115)52:10<1778::aid-cncr2820521003>3.0.co;2-6
Subject(s) - medicine , methotrexate , bolus (digestion) , gastroenterology , adenocarcinoma , carcinoma , chemotherapy , surgery , cancer
Thirty‐one patients with unresectable non‐small cell carcinoma of the lung (19 adenocarcinoma, 7 large cell carcinoma, 4 squamous cell carcinoma, 1 mixed histology) were treated with one of two intravenous infusion schedules of high dose methotrexate with leucovorin rescue. First, 14 patients received methotrexate in escalating doses from 1.5 to 12 g/m 2 over 6 hours followed immediately with leucovorin 15 mg/m 2 for 12 doses every 6 hours; there were no complete or partial responses among these 14 patients. Then, 17 patients were treated with a loading bolus of 50 mg/m 2 intravenous methotrexate followed by a 30‐hour continuous infusion of 1.5 g/m 2 . Leucovorin 15 mg/m 2 every 6 hours for 12 doses was begun at the end of the infusion. There were 3 partial responses among the 17 patients in this group. The results demonstrate that both 6‐ and 30‐hour infusions of high‐dose methotrexate regimens can be given safely to middle aged adult patients, but the overall 10% response rate does not appear to be significantly different than the results with standard‐dose methotrexate.