PURPOSE: The safety and efficacy of a combined regimen of weekly paclitaxel and gemcitabine was tested in patients with refractory and sensitive small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). METHODS: Treatment consisted of paclitaxel 80 mg/m(2) on days 1, 8, 15 and gemcitabine 1,000 mg/m(2) on days 1 and 8 every 3 weeks. Of the 31 patients enrolled, 10 had refractory and 21 had sensitive disease. Objective responses occurred in 8 patients (26%), including 2 out of 10 patients with refractory- and 6 out of 21 patients with sensitive SCLC. Median time to progression and median survival were 9.4 and 32 weeks, respectively. RESULTS: The schedule was very well tolerated, with grade 3-4 thrombocytopenia in 26% of the patients, grade 3 neutropenia in 26%, grade 3-4 asthenia in 13% and grade 1-2 sensory neuropathy in 32%. CONCLUSION: To conclude, this weekly schedule of paclitaxel and gemcitabine was found to have moderate activity in platinum-etoposide pretreated SCLC patients and a favorable toxicity profile.