[Weekly administration of gemcitabine in outpatient clinic for non-small cell lung cancer]

We treated inoperable or recurrent non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with weekly outpatient administration of gemcitabine. The aim of this therapy was to improve or to maintain the patients' performance status. From November 1999 to December 2001, 15 NSCLC patients were treated with gemcitabine. The patients were 12 males and 3 females, 14 with adenocarcinoma and 1 with squamous cell carcinoma, aged 57 to 81 years old. A dose of 1,000 mg/m2 of gemcitabine was administered on days 1 and 8 every 3 weeks. Patients were treated for 1 to 17 (median 3) months. Performance status was maintained in 12 of 15 patients during this treatment. Average tumor marker doubling time was 289 days. Median survival time was 8.1 months. Weekly administration of gemcitabine in an outpatient setting is a useful treatment for inoperable or recurrent non-small cell lung cancer.