February 2000, Volume 17, Issue 1, Pages 47 - 51

Original Paper

Phase II study of etoposide (VP-16) in patients with thyroid cancer with no prior chemotherapy: an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Study (E1385) AN Leaf1, BC Wolf2, JM Kirkwood3 & RE Haselow4 1Department of Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York, USA     2Albany Medical Center, New York, USA     3University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA     4Metro-Minnesota CCOP, St Louis Park, MN, USA     Correspondence to: Dr Andrea N Leaf, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York, NY, USA.

Keywords

etoposide;   thyroid neoplasms;   drug therapy

Abstract

This study of etoposide in thyroid cancer was designed to determine the activity and toxicity of etoposide in a variety of inoperable, thyroid hormone insensitive, and radio-iodine resistant primary cancers of the thyroid. The patients were required to have an ECOG performance status of at least 3 and no previous exposure to chemotherapy. The etoposide was given at a dose of 140 mg/m2 daily for 3 days and every 3 weeks until progression. The study was closed after 18 months because of poor accrual. There were no responses seen among the 10 patients accrued. The toxicity was primarily hematologic. There was no evidence of activity of etoposide in thyroid carcinoma, although this study lacked significant power because of the poor accrual. Medical Oncology (2000) 17, 47-51

Received 6 May 1999; Accepted 20 May 1999

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