Platinum-based chemotherapy has been given a boost with the news that the addition of a new drug - named Avastin - can help improve the treatment's efficacy.

Preliminary results of tests carried out by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) indicate that combining Avastin with platinum-based courses for the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) can yield positive results.

The NCI says that tests show survival rates have improved where the combination is used -the first targeted agent to do so when used in conjunction with the platinum-based treatment.

On average, the duration of survival in those patients given the Avastin combination was increased by more than two months, building on the existing ten month boost provided by platinum-based treatments alone.

While further details of the trial will be announced at the 2005 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in May, the signs are said to be good for the development of more effective platinum-based treatments.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in both men and women in the United States and Europe.

Chemotherapy with a taxane plus a platinum agent - such as carboplatin, cisplatin - has quickly become the standard treatment for NSCLC, with the latest advancement likely to underline this position.