Is there any impact of new drugs on the outcome of advanced NSCLC?
Lung cancer represents the major cause of cancer-related death in Europe and North America, accounting for 28% of all cancer deaths. Seventy to 80% of all lung cancers are non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs), and approximately 75 % of these patients present with locally advanced or disseminated disease. Even though chemotherapy is now recommended in the majority of cases of unresectable NSCLC, it still fails to substantially modify the fate of these patients. In recent years, several active cytotoxic drugs (paclitaxel, docetaxel, vinorelbine, gemcitabine, and irinotecan) have been developed, showing an overall response rate (ORR) <20% in NSCLC. Phase II/III trials testing these new agents in combination with cisplatin have been carried out in recent years with inconsistent results. Large randomized trials testing cisplatin-paclitaxel, carboplatin-paclitaxel, and cisplatin-gemcitabine regimens have been reported showing no substantial superiority of these combinations over standard tre
