title: Second-line chemotherapy for non-small-cell lung cancer: recent data with pemetrexed.
abstract: Platinum-based chemotherapy offers a modest survival advantage over best supportive care (BSC) in chemotherapy-naive patients with a good performance status and advanced/metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Based on 2 landmark studies that reported improved survival times and quality of life when comparing docetaxel with ifosfamide, vinorelbine, or BSC alone, docetaxel at 75 mg/m(2) given once every 3 weeks has been the standard of care as second-line chemotherapy since 2000. Docetaxel given at this dose and schedule resulted in significant hematologic toxicity, with many patients at risk for neutropenic fever. Pemetrexed is a novel multitargeted antifolate agent with single-agent activity in first- and second-line treatment of NSCLC. A phase III study in 571 patients comparing pemetrexed with docetaxel demonstrated clinically equivalent therapeutic outcomes in second-line treatment of patients with recurrent NSCLC; however, patients on the pemetrexed arm had a more favorable hematologic toxicity profile, with fewer episodes of neutropenia, neutropenic fever, and infections and less use of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor support. Based on these data, pemetrexed is a reasonable second-line chemotherapy option for patients with recurrent, advanced NSCLC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis 46202, USA. nhanna@iupui.edu
authors.forename: Nasser H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Hanna
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D000077143:Docetaxel; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005971:Glutamates / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006147:Guanine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000068437:Pemetrexed; D043823:Taxoids / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D005971:Glutamates; D043823:Taxoids; D000068437:Pemetrexed; D000077143:Docetaxel; D006147:Guanine