Conditions: Stage IV Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Stage IIIB Non-small Cell Lung Cancer
Keywords: Untreated Lung Cancer non-small cell gemcitabine gemzar carboplatin dexamethasone
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 60
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
The purpose of this study is to find better treatment for lung cancer and to find out what effects the combined treatment of carboplatin and gemcitabine when given with or without dexamethasone have on cancer.

This study will determine if dexamethasone, when given before standard chemotherapy will increase the cancer fighting effects and reduce the side effects of chemotherapy.

Detailed description:
Subjects enrolled in the study will be placed in one of two treatment arms. All subjects have a 50-50 chance of being placed into either treatment arm. Treatment Arm 1 will receive chemotherapy alone, Treatment Arm 2 will receive chemotherapy with dexamethasone given pre-treatment.

Arms:
arm 1: No Dexamethasone arm 2: Dexamethasone

Interventions: intervention 1: Gemcitabine intervention 2: Dexamethasone intervention 3: Carboplatin
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Gemcitabine 1000 mg/m\^2 intravenously over 30 minutes on days 5 and 12. intervention 2: 16 mg bid for 4 days prior to each chemotherapy start. intervention 3: AUC 6.0 intravenously over 30 minutes on day 5.

Protocol document: