Cisplatin, Etoposide, and Bevacizumab Regimen Followed by Oral Etoposide and Bevacizumab Maintenance Treatment in Patients With Extensive-Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Single-Institution Experience

Cisplatin and etoposide (PE) is the most used chemotherapy regimen in extensive-stage disease small-cell lung cancer (ED-SCLC), and usually achieves a high initial response rate. An intriguing maintenance strategy could be the combination of the angiogenic agent bevacizumab (Bev) with a convenient and well tolerated chemotherapy agent such as oral etoposide. Results of the current single-institutional phase II study suggest that a regimen that includes conventional PE chemotherapy combined with Bev followed by oral etoposide and Bev as maintenance treatment is feasible and effective in terms of 9-month disease control rate in patients with ED-SCLC.