Gemcitabine plus UFT combination chemotherapy as second- or third-line therapy in non-small cell lung cancer : a pilot study

Background : Gemcitabine plus UFT combination chemotherapy are highly effective and less toxic in the first line setting in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The purpose of the study is to confirm the feasibility of this regimen as second-or third-line therapy in NSCLC. Methods : Fifteen patients with performance status of 0-1 were enrolled. UFT (tegafur 250 mg/m(2)/day) was administered orally twice a day from days 1-14, and gemcitabine of 900 mg/m(2) was administered intravenously on days 8 and 15 every three weeks on an outpatient setting. The treatment was repeated for at least 3 cycles and continued unless the disease progressed. Results : The response rate and the disease control rate were 6.7% and 66.7%, respectively. Grade 3-4 toxicities included neutropenia in one patient and elevation of transaminases in one patient. The mean relative dose intensity of gemcitabine and UFT were 0.93 and 0.97, respectively. Conclusion : High disease control rate and less toxicity suggested the potential of gemcitabine and UFT combination chemotherapy as second-or third-line therapy in NSCLC.