The targeted therapy gefitinib should be considered first-line in nonsmoking, chemotherapy-naïve Asian patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to the results of the phase 3 study presented here at the 33rd European Society for Medical Oncology Congress (ESMO).

The First Line IRESSA Versus Carboplatin/Paclitaxel in Asia (IPASS) study — heralded as proof of principle for targeted chemotherapy in lung cancer — demonstrated progression-free survival advantages for gefitinib over the standard-of-care therapy (combination carboplatin/paclitaxel