Thoracic malignancies, cisplatin and renal function.

C isplatin (cis-dichlorodiammine-platinum II or CDDP) is the central drug used in the management of thoracic malignancies. The first trials were published in the 1970s [1], showing activity in lung cancer. Since then it has been shown to improve survival in advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) [2] and survival and cure in combination with radiotherapy in locoregional NSCLC and prior to [3] or after resection in early NSCLC [4]. It is also a key drug in association with etoposide [5, 6] in the treatment of small cell lung cancer (SCLC), where it significantly improves survival. In mesothelioma, it has been shown to be the most active drug [7, 8].