title: Quality of Life in Patients with NSCLC Receiving Maintenance Therapy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In the past few years many trials have evaluated the use of maintenance therapy in the treatment of NSCLC stage IV. Both switch as well as continuation maintenance show an improved PFS and overall survival. HRQoL data was only partially published. The aim of this article is to review the published effects of maintenance therapy on HRQoL.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two PubMed searches were performed using the terms: "maintenance therapy and NSCLC" and "maintenance therapy and NSCLC and HRQoL". The published data was compared, analysed and evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  272 articles were found dealing with maintenance therapy, and of these 85 articles were found regarding maintenance therapy and HRQoL in NSCLC. Maintenance therapy showed no negative impact on HRQoL but failed to show a real benefit. Some symptoms showed positive trends during maintenance therapy. HRQoL can be used to select patients for maintenance therapy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Maintenance therapy is very safe, improves PFS and OS without impairing HRQoL. Although a positive impact on general QoL could not be demonstrated this is possibly due to the mode of evaluating HRQoL. Patient reported outcomes should be simplified and examined for a longer period of time.
authors.affiliation: Lungenfachklinik Immenhausen, Thoracic Oncology, Immenhausen 34376, Germany. arittmeyer@lungenfachklinik-immenhausen.de.
authors.forename: Achim
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rittmeyer
keywords: HRQoL; NSCLC; maintenance therapy