Platinum-based chemotherapy can improve the survival and quality of life of patients with locally advanced and metastatic lung cancer. Second-line docetaxel monotherapy can improve overall survival following the failure of first line chemotherapy. However, many limiting factors such as poor performance status, advanced age, adverse effects of chemotherapy and reluctance to receive cytotoxic chemotherapeutic agents render patients unable to accept chemotherapy. Furthermore, for patients who have failed second-line chemotherapy treatment options are often limited to best support care or palliative radiotherapy. 1 Gefitinib (Iressa) is a HER1/EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor)- tyrosine kinase inhibitor approved in a number of countries including the US, Japan and recently China for the treatment of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), who have failed platinum/docetaxel-based first line and second line chemotherapy. 2,3 Current data show heterogeneity in response to gefitinib among people of different ethnic origin, but there is very little data concing the safety and efficacy of gefitinib in Chinese patients. This paper aims to summarize the safety and efficacy data for gefitinib 250 mg treatment in Chinese NSCLC patients at Peking Union Medical College Hospital who received gefitinib as part of an Expanded Access Programme.