Combination chemotherapy (high-dose methotrexate with citrovorum factor rescue, mechlorethamine, and procarbazine) in non-small cell lung cancer.

Twenty-five patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were treated with high-dose methotrexate with citrovorum factor resuce (HDMTX-CFR), mechlorethamine (HN2) and procarbazine (PCZ). Nineteen patients are evaluable for response. One patient had partial remission which lasted for 11 weeks. Nine patients had stable disease lasting for 6-22 weeks. HDMTX-CFR was well tolerated by these patients but this combination regimen produced very low tumor response rate (5.2%). Addition of HN2 and PCZ, chemotherapeutic agents active against NSCLC, failed to improve the tumor response rate but added to gastrointestinal and hematologic toxicity.