[An 80-year-old woman with non-resectable pulmonary adenocarcinoma that responded to concomitant use of gemcitabine and vinorelbine].

An 80-year-old female with non-resectable pulmonary adenocarcinoma was treated with five courses of chemotherapy consisting of gemcitabine (GEM) 1,000 mg/m2 plus vinorelbine (VNR) 25 mg/m2 (days 1 and 8, every 4 weeks). A partial response (PR) was achieved, and her complaints abated and quality of life (QOL) improved. Although gastro-intestinal symptoms and bone marrow suppression were observed as side effects, they were within a tolerable range and did not interfere with the therapy. Anti-cancer chemotherapy for non-resectable lung cancer might be worth consideration even for elderly patients more than 80 years of age.