Non-platinum-based doublets including the newer drugs can be used instead of platinum-based regimens in the first line treatment of patients with advanced NSCLC. Docetaxel or pemetrexed have been proven effective as second-line treatment of patients with NSCLC. In a study conducted by our group the combination of irinotecan/cisplatin demonstrated higher response rates over cisplatin monotherapy in patients progressing after first-line docetaxel/gemcitabine. Moreover, pemetrexed has been combined with the platinums (ie, cisplatin, carboplatin, and oxaliplatin) in NSCLC to yield clinical activity similar to that of other platinum-based doublets. The efficacy of different platinum-based combinations in patients pretreated with non-platinum based first-line chemotherapy is not known.
This trial will compare the efficacy of irinotecan/cisplatin and pemetrexed/cisplatin in the second-line treatment of patients with stage IIIB/IV NSCLC