Efficacies of gefitinib versus paclitaxel/carboplatin for patients with advanced pulmonary adenocarcinoma

To compare the clinical efficacies of gefitinib versus paclitaxel/carboplatin in patients with advanced pulmonary adenocarcinoma. A total of 51 advanced pulmonary adenocarcinoma patients were recruited from Guangdong General Hospital during October 2006 to September 2007. Eligible patients were ≥ 18 years old, either non-smokers or former light smokers and receiving no prior chemotherapy or biological/immunological therapy. According to performance status, smoking status and gender, they were selected with dynamic equilibrium randomized method 1: 1 to receive first-line gefitinib (250 mg/d) in gefitinib arm or carboplatin/paclitaxel (carboplatin, area under the curve 5 mg × ml⁻¹ × min⁻¹, 21-day cycle; paclitaxel, 200 mg/m², 21-day cycle in chemotherapy arm. The primary endpoint was progression free survival (PFS). And the secondary endpoints were objective response rate (ORR) and overall survival (OS). They were randomized into gefitinib arm (n = 25) and paclitaxel/carboplatin arm (n = 26). The median PFS was