Table 1.
Baseline patient characteristics
| Characteristic | Pemetrexed (n=47) | Gefitinib (n=48) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sex | |||
| Male | 33 (70) | 35 (73) | 0.77 |
| Female | 14 (30) | 13 (27) | |
| Age (yr) | |||
| Median (range) | 64 (31-81) | 67 (42-82) | 0.26 |
| ≥ 65 | 21 (45) | 27 (56) | |
| Performance status | |||
| 0 | 5 (11) | 5 (10) | 0.94 |
| 1 | 27 (57) | 26 (54) | |
| 2 | 15 (32) | 17 (35) | |
| Smoking status | |||
| Current or ex-smoker | 33 (70) | 33 (69) | 0.88 |
| Never-smoker | 14 (30) | 15 (31) | |
| Pathologic subtype | |||
| Adenocarcinoma | 29 (62) | 31 (65) | 0.99 |
| Squamous cell carcinoma | 10 (21) | 9 (19) | |
| LCNEC | 1 (2) | 1 (2) | |
| NSCLC not otherwise specified | 7 (15) | 7 (15) | |
| Stage at treatment | |||
| IIIB | 3 (6) | 2 (4) | 0.68a) |
| IVb) | 44 (94) | 46 (96) | |
| Metastatic sites | |||
| Lung to lung | 18 (38) | 21 (44) | 0.59 |
| Pleura | 16 (34) | 26 (54) | 0.05 |
| Brain | 7 (15) | 4 (8) | 0.32 |
| ≥ 2 sites | 18 (38) | 23 (48) | 0.34 |
| Treatment sequence | |||
| 2nd-line | 32 (68) | 30 (63) | 0.57 |
| 3rd-line | 15 (32) | 18 (38) | |
| Previous chemotherapy | |||
| Platinum-based combinations | 41 (87) | 40 (83) | 0.80 |
| Non-platinum combinations | 3 (6) | 4 (8) | |
| Monotherapy without platinum | 3 (6) | 4 (8) | |
| Best response, any prior chemotherapy | |||
| Complete response | 0 | 1 (2) | 0.23 |
| Partial response | 32 (68) | 25 (52) | |
| Stable disease | 12 (26) | 13 (29) | |
| Progressive disease | 3 (6) | 8 (17) | |
| EGFR mutation | |||
| Mutant | 1 (2) | 1 (2) | 0.12 |
| Wild-type | 13 (28) | 23 (48) | |
| Unknown | 33 (70) | 24 (50) |
Values are presented as number (%). LCNEC, large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma; NSCLC, non-small cell lung cancer; EGFR, epidermal growth factor receptor.
a)
Fisher exact test,
b)
Includes four patients with recurrent disease (one patient for pemetrexed and three patients for gefitinib).