Table 1. Characteristics of the trials included in the analysis.
| First author/year | Study regimens | No. of Pts | PS (%) |
Median age (years) | Stage (%) |
PFS (months) | Female (%) | ||
| 0-1 | ≥2 | IIIB | IV | ||||||
| Mok TS/2010 [23] | Gefitinib | 609 | 90 | 10 | 57 | 24.6 | 75.4 | 5.7 | 79.5 |
| TC | 608 | 89.3 | 10.7 | 57 | 23.8 | 76.2 | 5.8 | 79.1 | |
| Okamoto I/2010 [31] | TC | 281 | 100 | 0 | 63 | 24.2 | 75.8 | 4.8 | 23.5 |
| Carboplatin + S-1 | 282 | 100 | 0 | 64 | 24.1 | 75.9 | 4.1 | 23.0 | |
| Kubota K/2008 [32] | GN followed docetaxela | 196 | 100 | 0 | 64 | 17.0 | 83 | 5.5 | 27.0 |
| TC | 197 | 100 | 0 | 65 | 17.0 | 83 | 5.8 | 31.0 | |
| Ohe Y/2007 [33] | IP | 145 | 100 | 0 | 62 | 21.4 | 78.6 | 4.7 | 33.1 |
| TC | 145 | 100 | 0 | 63 | 19.3 | 80.7 | 4.5 | 31.7 | |
| GP | 146 | 100 | 0 | 61 | 20.5 | 79.5 | 4.0 | 30.8 | |
| NP | 145 | 100 | 0 | 61 | 17.9 | 82.1 | 4.1 | 30.3 | |
| Kubota K/2004 [34] | DP | 151 | 96 | 4 | 63 | 0 | 100 | - | 35.8 |
| Vindesine + cisplatin | 151 | 96.7 | 3.3 | 64 | 0 | 100 | - | 31.8 | |
| Han JY/2012 [24] | Gefitinib | 159 | 91.2 | 8.8 | 57 | 10.7 | 89.3 | 5.8 | 88.0 |
| GP | 150 | 90.7 | 9.3 | 56.5 | 9.3 | 90.7 | 6.4 | 89.3 | |
| Lara PN Jr/2011 [35] | TC + vadimezan | 649 | 99.7 | - | 62 | 8.2 | 91.8 | 5.5 | 37.9 |
| TC + placebo | 650 | 98.8 | - | 61 | 9.1 | 90.9 | 5.5 | 37.7 | |
| Reck M/2010 [36] | Placebo + GP | 347 | 100 | 0 | 59 | 23.0 | 77 | 6.1 | 36.0 |
| Bevacizumab7.5 + GP | 345 | 100 | 0 | 57 | 22.0 | 78 | 6.7 | 35.0 | |
| Bevacizumab15 + GP | 351 | 100 | 0 | 59 | 23.0 | 77 | 6.5 | 38.0 | |
| Lynch TJ/2010 [37] | TC + C225 | 338 | 98 | 2 | 64 | 12.0 | 88 | 4.4 | 43.0 |
| TC | 338 | 99 | 1 | 65 | 14.0 | 86 | 4.24 | 40.0 | |
| Pirker R/2009 [38] | NP + cetuximab | 557 | 83 | 17 | 59 | 6.0 | 94 | 4.8 | 31.0 |
| NP | 568 | 82 | 18 | 60 | 6.0 | 94 | 4.8 | 29.0 | |
| Tan EH/2009 [39] | NP | 194 | 62.1 | 37.9 | 59.4 | 19.5 | 80.5 | 4.9 | 26.8 |
| DP | 196 | 62.3 | 37.7 | 62.1 | 15.2 | 84.8 | 5.1 | 23.6 | |
| Scagliotti GV/2008 [8] | GP | 830 | 99.9 | NA | 61.1 | 24.3 | 75.7 | 5.1 | 29.9 |
| AP | 839 | 99.8 | NA | 61 | 23.8 | 76.2 | 4.8 | 29.8 | |
| Ramlau R/2008 [40] | Bexarotene + NP | 311 | 100 | 0 | 61 | 17.0 | 83.0 | 4.3 | 28.0 |
| NP | 312 | 100 | 0 | 61 | 19.0 | 81.0 | 5.0 | 28.0 | |
| Blumenschein GR Jr /2008 [41] | TC + bexarotene | 306 | 100 | 0 | 63 | 13.0 | 87.0 | 4.1 | 34.0 |
| TC | 306 | 100 | 0 | 63 | 13.0 | 87.0 | 4.9 | 34.0 | |
| Sandler A/2011 [42] | TC + bevacizumab | 417 | 100 | 0 | NA | 22.0 | 78.0 | 6.2 | 50.0 |
| TC | 433 | 100 | 0 | NA | 26.0 | 74.0 | 4.5 | 42.0 | |
Pts, patients; PS, performance status; PFS, median progression-free survival; TC, paclitaxel + carboplatin; GN, gemcitabine + vinorelbine; IP, irinotecan + cisplatin; GP, gemcitabine + cisplatin; NP, vinorelbine + cisplatin; DP, docetaxel + cisplatin; AP, pemetrexed + cisplatin; NA, not available. aThis arm was excluded, because the percentage of patients treated with both platinum-based doublet chemotherapy (PBC) and epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) was unknown.