Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate the response rate, survival time, and progression-free survival (PFS) time of second-line chemotherapy in patients with relapsed advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Between January 1998 and December 2006, of 253 patients with advanced NSCLC who received platinum-based first-line chemotherapy and it recurred, 76 patients who received second-line chemotherapy were retrospectively analyzed. The median time from the first-line chemotherapy to the second-line chemotherapy was 3.4 months. Of these 76 patients, 51 patients received docetaxel-based chemotherapy, 15 patients received gefitinib, and 10 patients received other chemotherapies. Response rates (RR) for docetaxel-based chemotherapy, gefitinib, and other chemotherapies were 5.9%, 20%, and 20%, respectively. Median survival times and median PFS times for docetaxel-based chemotherapy, gefitinib, and other chemotherapies were 9.6 months and 2.3 months, 4.2 months and 2.3 months, and 23 months and 1.7 months, respectively. There were no significant differences in RRs, survival times, and PFS times. Performance status was significantly associated with survival time after recurrence. In conclusion, three types of chemotherapies showed similar effectiveness as second-line chemotherapy in patients with advanced NSCLC.
