Experience with new chemotherapeutic agents in non-small cell lung cancer.

Lung cancer, which is the leading cause of cancer mortality, remains a significant health-care problem among men and women in the United States, despite an overall 20-year decline in the incidence of cigarette smoking. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) comprises 75 to 80% of all lung cancer cases. The metastatic nature of this disease has been responsible for the poor survival statistics reported to date and emphasizes the need for effective systemic treatment.