[Combination chemotherapy in the treatment of inoperable non-small cell lung cancer]

Recent meta-analysis data showed that alkylating agents had a detrimental effect on survival of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but that cisplatin-containing regimens afforded a modest but significant survival advantage. Regrettably, there is no standard therapy for the treatment of NSCLC. The development of new drugs is clearly an important avenue for improving the treatment of NSCLC. Several cytotoxic agents with promising single-agent activity, including vinorelbine, irinotecan, paclitaxel, docetaxel, and gemcitabine have recently been defined. The data on combination chemotherapy of new agents in the treatment of advanced NSCLC is then reviewed here.