Single-agent gemcitabine versus cisplatin/etoposide in patients with inoperable, locally advanced, or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer.
Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains a malignancy that is refractory to most currently available chemotherapeutic agents. The most frequently used systemic therapy is cisplatin-based combination therapy, which is not always suitable for patients with stage IV disease because of toxicity. Thus, any single agent with a good patient tolerability profile would be a useful alternative for those patients for whom the main purpose of treatment is palliation. The novel nucleoside analog gemcitabine has proven single-agent activity in patients with NSCLC, with consistent response rates of 20% and above. This report reviews two randomized phase II studies of single-agent gemcitabine versus cisplatin/etoposide in patients with advanced NSCLC.
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Thoraxklinik, Department of Internal Medicine and Oncology, Heidelberg, Germany.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000556:secondary; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003841:Deoxycytidine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005047:Etoposide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D000093542:Gemcitabine
D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; D003841:Deoxycytidine; D005047:Etoposide; D002945:Cisplatin; D000093542:Gemcitabine