Thirty-seven patients with non-small cell carcinoma of the lung were randomized to receive doxorubicin, lomustine, hexamethylmelamine, and methotrexate (ACHM) or ACHM plus amphotericin B (AMB). The complete plus partial response rate was 39% for ACHM plus AMB, compared to 23% for ACHM alone. However, the median duration of complete or partial response was only 3.0 months with ACHM plus AMB, compared to 7.0 months with ACHM. Most importantly, median survival was only 4.0 months with ACHM plus AMB, compared to 8.0 months with ACHM (P = 0.08; two-tail test). Myelosuppression was enhanced by the addition of AMB. Although AMB has biological and antitumor activity in certain clinical circumstances, it does not appear to have a meaningful role in palliative therapy of patients with non-small cell bronchogenic carcinoma.