Carboplatin plus Weekly Paclitaxel Combined with Bevacizumab as First-line Treatment for Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

AIM: We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of carboplatin plus weekly paclitaxel with bevacizumab in patients with advanced non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with stage IIIB/IV or postoperative recurrent NSCLC (n=33) were treated with carboplatin (area under the curve of 6) on day 1; paclitaxel (80 mg/m2) on days 1, 8, and 15; and bevacizumab (15 mg/kg) on day 1 repeated every 4 weeks, for four to six cycles; followed by maintenance bevacizumab (15 mg/kg) every 3 weeks. RESULTS: The overall response rate was 76%. The median progression-free survival and overall survival were 8.4 months and 22.2 months, respectively. Grade 3-4 toxicities included neutropenia in 55% of patients, anemia in 18%, febrile neutropenia in 12%, and anorexia in 9%. No treatment-related deaths were observed. CONCLUSION: Carboplatin plus weekly paclitaxel with bevacizumab was effective and well tolerated by patients with advanced NSCLC.