The feasibility of outpatient chemotherapy in patients with lung cancer is important, because of its toxicity and efficacy. We evaluated the frequency of discontinuation of scheduled chemotherapy in the department pf Respiratory Medicine and the reasons for it.
The records of patients treated from March 2005 to March 2008 were studied. The treatment regimens, the treatment lines (1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th), the total occasions of chemotherapy, the number at the time of discontinuation,and the reason for the latter were extracted. The planned schedule of chemotherapy was given every two weeks. Discontinuation here means having postponed or stopped the scheduled treatment because of toxicity, etc.
The records of 50 patients (41 men, 9 women) were used for the evaluation. Sixty-four treatment regimens were carried out in a total of 447 occasions of chemotherapy. Fifty-six of the 64 regimens were completed during the first four periods of treatment, giving a rate of completion of 88% (56/64 cases). There were 58 discontinuation episodes among the 447 occasions, thus the rate of discontinuation was 13% (58/447 times). The main reason for discontinuation was a reduction in leukocyte count, comprising 52% of all the discontinuations. The next most common reasons were patient's circumstances (12%), drug-induced skin rash (5%), and bad general condition (5%).
The overall frequency of discontinuation, 13%, seems not inappropriate in a clinical setting, considering both safety and efficacy.

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