Solvent-based paclitaxel or nab-paclitaxel for heavily treated relapsed/refractory small cell lung cancer

Treatment options for patients with relapsed/refractory small cell lung cancer (R/R SCLC) are limited, and the efficacy of salvage therapies for heavily treated patients should be assessed. Here, we evaluated the efficacy of paclitaxel (PTX) in R/R SCLC patients. A single-institute retrospective chart review was conducted. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS), whereas the secondary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS), overall response rate, disease control rate (DCR), and safety. Thirty-one patients (median age, 69 [range, 56-80] years) were analyzed. The median follow-up period was 122 (range, 28-1121) days. The median OS and PFS were 4.4 and 2.2 months, respectively. Adverse events of grade 3 or higher, other than hematological toxicity, were febrile neutropenia and neuropathy. Multivariate analyses identified the following independent predictors of poor OS: performance status and lactate dehydrogenase at the upper limit of normal. PTX monotherapy showed moderate efficacy with acceptable toxicity in heavily treated patients with R/R SCLC patients.