Present trends in the treatment of advanced non small-cell lung cancer.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths all over the world. As most patients present with advanced disease, major efforts have been made in the treatment of such disease with systemic chemotherapy. Several new agents and new combinations of chemotherapy have been developed recently. This article reviews the randomized clinical trials investigating chemotherapy for advanced non small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in relapse or progressive disease while being treated and in elderly patients. Therapies that incorporate new biological agents to target specific defects in lung cancer are also discussed. Several clinical trials have demonstrated improvement in overall survival as well as quality of life with presently available chemotherapy treatment of advanced NSCLC. Better options are available for the elderly as well as those having relapse after first-line chemotherapy. Despite all this progress the 5-year survival rate still remains at a dismal 14%. New therapies with good results are still desired.
Parvez
Tariq
T
Department of Oncology, King Fahad Hospital, Al Madina Al Munawra, KSA.
Allam
Abdullah Rida
AR
Iskandrani
Ayman
A
Khan
Muhammad Ali
MA
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents