BACKGROUND Nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel (nab-PTX) plus gemcitabine (GEM) significantly improved overall survival in patients with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Anti-tumor synergy between GEM and nab-PTX was recently demonstrated in a mouse model. We planned to assess the efficacy and safety of the combination of nab-PTX + GEM in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) previously treated with platinum-based chemotherapy. METHODS Patients with advanced NSCLC with progressive disease after platinum-based chemotherapy, an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status (PS) of 0 or 1, and adequate kidney, liver and bone marrow function were eligible. Treatment consisted of nab-PTX (100 mg/m2) + GEM (1000 mg/m2) on days 1 and 8 of each 3-week cycle until progression disease or unacceptable toxicity occurred. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS). RESULTS Of the 28 patients enrolled, all were evaluable for response and toxicity. The median age was 68 years (range 47-79), and 23 were male and 5 female. The histologic subtypes were: adenocarcinoma in 19 patients, and squamous cell carcinoma in 9 patients. Seventeen patients had ECOG PS 1 and 11 patients had PS 0. Twenty-four patients were second line and 4 patients were third line. The median number of cycles administered was 4 (range 1-10). The overall response rate was 17.9%. The disease control rate was 67.9%. The median progression-free survival was 3.1 months (95% confidence interval [CI] =1.6-4.1). Adverse events were generally tolerable except grade 3 interstitial pneumonia with in 4 patients (14.3%). CONCLUSIONS The efficacy of nab-PTX in combination with GEM in advanced second or third-line NSCLC patients was limited and the frequent occurrence of interstitial pneumonia was unacceptable.