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Potential treatment options after first-line chemotherapy for advanced NSCLC: maintenance treatment or early second-line?

Potential treatment options after first-line chemotherapy for advanced NSCLC: maintenance treatment or early second-line?

Authors :
Fortunato Ciardiello
Clorinda Schettino
Cesare Gridelli
Paolo Maione
Marianna Luciana Ferrara
Antonio Rossi
Maria Anna Bareschino
Paola Claudia Sacco
Gridelli, C
Maione, P
Rossi, A
Ferrara, Ml
Bareschino, Ma
Schettino, C
Sacco, Pc
Ciardiello, Fortunato
Source :
The oncologist. 14(2)
Publication Year :
2009

Abstract

Although substantial progress has been made in the therapeutic options currently available for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the overall survival profile remains poor for most patients. One of the strategies currently under investigation with the aim of prolonging survival in NSCLC patients is maintenance treatment with either a chemotherapeutic agent or a molecularly targeted agent after first-line chemotherapy. Moreover, this can consist of drugs included in the induction regimen or other noncrossresistant agents. With the currently available data, maintenance treatment with a different noncrossresistant agent (i.e., an early second-line treatment) is perhaps the most promising strategy. The drug chosen for the early second-line treatment should be a well-tolerated agent, considering that patients have just completed a particularly toxic platinum-based chemotherapy. Extending treatment with targeted agents rather than chemotherapy can provide longer progression-free and overall survival times without increasing toxicity. However, at the moment, only progression-free survival has been shown to be consistently superior with maintenance approaches; the evaluation of survival benefits is warranted before defining this strategy as a possible treatment option. Further studies are warranted to establish the role of maintenance chemotherapy in patients with advanced NSCLC.

Details

ISSN :
1549490X
Volume :
14
Issue :
2
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
The oncologist
Accession number :
edsair.doi.dedup.....6f4fdc44351cba88dc2007fa7dfd0e34