We conducted a randomized study comparing the survival after treatment with cisplatin (120 mg/m2) or cisplatin plus etoposide (100 mg/m2 on days 1, 2, and 3) in 162 evaluable patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). No statistically significant difference in survival was detected; the median survival was 26 and 22 weeks, respectively, for patients receiving cisplatin and for those receiving cisplatin plus etoposide. The objective response rate was 19% for cisplatin and 26% for the combination; the corresponding response rates were 17% and 43% in patients with limited disease. No significant differences were detected between the two study arms as far as toxicity was concerned, except for alopecia and granulocytopenia, which occurred more frequently in patients treated with cisplatin plus etoposide.