ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The extent of the benefit of gefitinib in the treatment of advanced nonsmall‑cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is till controversial, when compared with docetaxel. We performed this meta‑analysis to compare the efficacy and toxicity of gefitinib with docetaxel for different patients with advanced NSCLC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We searched PubMed, Cochrane Library, and identified 5 randomized controlled clinical trials published within 2000–2013. After further full‑text screening, 4 clinical trials were included in the final meta‑analysis. RESULTS: The outcomes of treatment efficacy included progression‑free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) and objective response rate (ORR). Comparing gefitinib to docetaxel for advanced NSCLC patients, the pooled hazard ratio (HR) of PFS was 0.91, (95% confidential index [CI] = 0.83–0.99), the pooled HR of OS was 1.02, (95% CI = 0.93–1.13), the pooled risk ratio of ORR was 1.57, (95% CI = 1.01–2.47). CONCLUSIONS: Gefitinib was found to significantly improve patients’ PFS and response rate compared with docetaxel. There is no difference of OS between gefitinib and docetaxel.