Pooled analysis of elderly patients with non-small cell lung cancer treated with front line docetaxel/gemcitabine regimen: the Hellenic Oncology Research Group experience.

Introduction: Thirty to 40% of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are older than 70 years and rarely are enrolled in clinical trials. Moreover, in clinical practice, > 75% of patients older than 65 years with metastatic NSCLC never receive any kind of chemotherapy.

Purpose: To retrospectively evaluate the impact of age on efficacy and toxicity of chemotherapy regimens in patients with advanced NSCLC treated with the docetaxel-gemcitabine combination.