Adjuvant and induction chemotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer.
About 25%-30% of patients with non-small cell lung cancer can be resected with curative intent. However, systemic relapses occur in up to 70% of these patients. Thus, postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy was evaluated in several randomised trials but the results of these trials were inconclusive with a survival benefit only in some trials. Shortcomings of these trials included low number of patients, poor patient compliance and inadequate chemotherapy protocols. A recent meta-analysis suggested an absolute survival benefit of 5% at five years for postoperative cisplatin-based chemotherapy as compared to surgery alone. Thus adjuvant chemotherapy with both improved chemotherapy protocols and improved anti-emetics is currently re-evaluated in several randomised trials on large patient populations.
Pirker
R
R
Department of Internal Medicine I, University of Vienna, Austria. robert.pirker@akh-wien.ac.at
Malayeri
R
R
Huber
H
H
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012074:Remission Induction
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents