Single-agent gemcitabine in non-small cell lung cancer: the French experience

Gemcitabine is a novel nucleoside analogue that has demonstrated activity against several solid tumors. A large phase II study has been performed in Europe and Canada with a total enrollment of 161 non-small cell lung cancer patients, 26 of whom were from the Institut Gustave-Roussy. Patient characteristics were the same for our patients and the whole study population. One hundred fifty-one patients, including 24 at our institution, were evaluable for response. We observed an objective response rate of 21.8% (95% confidence interval, 15.5% to 29.3%) and median survival of 9.4 months for the whole population (7.5 months at our institution), with a 1-year survival rate of 42% (38% at our institution). Tolerance was good in the majority of patients. These results suggest that gemcitabine can be considered a safe and active agent for the treatment of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.