The development of gemcitabine and carboplatin in the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer

Gemcitabine plus carboplatin is a widely used regimen for the treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This two drug combination is effective, with a favorable safety profile, and is well tolerated in the outpatient setting. Gemcitabine/carboplatin prolongs survival compared with gemcitabine alone, but with greater hematological toxicity. The combination regimen appears to be superior to or equally effective as other regimens including mitomycin, ifosfamide and cisplatin (MIC), cisplatin/vinblastine, gemcitabine/paclitaxel, paclitaxel/carboplatin and gemcitabine/cisplatin. Gemcitabine combined with carboplatin is associated with more hematological toxicity, but the incidence of non-hematological toxicity is often significantly lower. Gemcitabine/carboplatin also improves patient quality of life, supporting its use in treating patients with advanced NSCLC in the outpatient setting.