Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the US, with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) the most common form of the disease. Despite major advances in understanding and treating cancer, overall 5-year survival for patients diagnosed with lung cancer remains below 15%. However, even modest improvements in lung cancer mortality could have dramatic public health consequences. Indeed, preventing 10% of lung cancer deaths would save > 10 000 lives annually in the US. Gemcitabine is a novel nucleoside analogue with unique activity against a range of solid tumours including NSCLC and pancreatic cancer. According to its developer, Eli Lilly, in 2002 gemcitabine was"the preferred therapy in non-small cell lung cancer"worldwide. The economic effects of using gemcitabine in combination with cisplatin to treat NSCLC in various healthcare settings were assessed in several studies presented at a large poster session at the 7th Annual European Congress of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research [Hamburg, Germany; Oct 2004].