A Multicentre, Randomised, Phase III Trial of Platinum-based Chemotherapy Versus Non-platinum Chemotherapy, After ERCC1 Stratification, in Patients With Advanced/Metastatic Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the UK, leading to 34 000 deaths each year (22% of cancer deaths). Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common histology, accounting for approximately 80% of cases and most present with advanced, stage IIIb or IV disease. The recommended treatment for advanced disease is a doublet platinum-based chemotherapy, although the survival benefits are modest. Even among those fit enough for chemotherapy, the response rate is only 20-40%, and median survival averages 9-10 months with the newer platinum-containing chemotherapy regimen (Schiller et al, 2002; Rudd et al, 2005; Lee et al, 2007). Only 11% of patients went on to survive 2 years when treated with the newer gemcitabine/carboplatin regimen established by the London Lung Cancer Group (Rudd et al, 2005; Lee et al, 2007). New strategies are needed to further improve the prognosis of this disease.