Effect of All-trans Retinoic Acid With Chemotherapy Based in Paclitaxel and Cisplatin as First Line Treatment of Patients With Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

Purpose: This randomized phase II trial evaluated whether the combination of cisplatin and paclitaxel plus All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) increases Response rate (RR) and Progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with advanced Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with an acceptable toxicity profile and its association with the expression of Retinoic acid receptor beta 2 (RAR-beta2 ) as a response biomarker. Patients and Methods: Patients with stage IIIB and IV NSCLC were included to receive Paclitaxel and Cisplatin (PC). Patients were randomized to receive ATRA 20 mg/m2/day (RA/PC) or placebo (P/PC) 1 week prior to treatment until completing two cycles. RAR-beta2 expression was analyzed by Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and RT-PCR in tumor and adjacent lung tissue.