First-line treatment of patients with disseminated poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinomas with carboplatin, etoposide, and vincristine: A single institution experience

Poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinomas (PDECs) represent highly malignant tumors with an immense tendency to metastasize and with a poor prognosis. The treatment consists of palliative chemotherapy and corresponds to the treatment of extensive stage small cell lung cancer. Material and methods. We present the patient characteristics and treatment results of 31 consecutive, chemonaive patients with PDECs treated with carboplatin, etoposide, and vincristine. Results. The response rate was 52%, the disease control rate 77%, and the median overall survival 15.3 months. The one-year survival rate was 55%, and the two-year survival rate was 19%. The median progression free survival (PFS) time was 6.6 months. Survival rates did not correlate with the Ki-67 proliferation index. The treatment was well tolerated. Conclusion. Treatment results with carboplatin, etoposide, and vincristine in chemonaive patients with PDECs are comparable to those in patients with SCLC. The prognosis is however poor.