title: Systemic therapy of advanced non-small cell lung cancer: major-developments of the last 5-years.
abstract: The standard palliative treatment for advanced stage NSCLC remains a platinum doublet but by tailoring chemotherapy according to tumour histology the results can be improved through using pemetrexed-containing schemas in non-squamous-cell disease. In addition, maintenance chemotherapy appears to be effective in patients achieving clinical benefit by induction therapy. Targeted therapy based on the presence of activating epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) activating mutations or EML4-ALK gene rearrangement is becoming standard practice with high median survival rates, up to 30 months. There are still numerous other molecular targeted drugs in development. This review presents the most recent relevant progress in systemic anti-cancer therapy of advanced NSCLC in the past 5 years and delineates today's new treatment options.
authors.affiliation: University Clinic Golnik, Medical Oncology Unit, Golnik 36, 4204 Golnik, Slovenia. tanja.cufer@klinika-golnik.si
authors.forename: Tanja
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Cufer
authors.forename: Tanja
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ovcaricek
authors.forename: Mary E R
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: O'Brien
mesh_terms: D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004358:Drug Therapy / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D066246:ErbB Receptors