Yokohama 241-0815, Japan. All patients received cisplatin-based chemotherapy after recurrence. No patient in group 1 achieved response to chemotherapy whereas 2 and 3 in group 2 achieved complete and partial responses, respectively. I and II non-small cell lung cancer. Minimum follow-up was 2 years.
Treatment is well tolerated.
In studies using the 4-week schedule, the gemcitabine dose was frequently omitted on day 15, mainly due to thrombocytopenia. A number of trials have evaluated this feature of gemcitabine by combining chemotherapy and radiation in various doses and schedules, and those studies are described in this article. Gemcitabine appears to be a promising agent to be combined with radiation therapy. However, further clinical trials are needed to define optimal doses, toxicity, and efficacy. Chuo Hospital, Sapporo, Japan.