Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC): Maintenance Therapy for All?

Long-term clinical response of advanced lung adenocarcinoma to maintenance treatment of gemcitabine: A case report

RATIONALE

Advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is an aggressive malignancy that generally leads to poor outcomes, with <5% long-term survival at 5 years; however, several researches have shown improvements in the progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) on the maintenance therapy after the first-line chemotherapy. we report a case of metastatic NSCLC patient treated with maintenance therapy of gemcitabine with brilliant results.

PATIENT CONCERNS

Clinical data and treatment of a 68-year-old man with NSCLC are summarized. The Ethics Committee of People's hospital of Leshan, approved this study.

DIAGNOSIS

Lung adenocarcinoma metastasized to the mediastinal lymph node, cervical lymph node, and adrenal gland, without epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation.

INTERVENTIONS

Continued treatment with gemcitabine alone following the 6 cycles of cisplatin-gemcitabine chemotherapy, prolonging the interval of chemotherapy when he could not tolerate the toxicity of the drug.

OUTCOMES

Partial response of the disease for 4.5 years and significant clinical benefit.

LESSONS

This case shows that patients will benefit from the maintenance therapy, and gemcitabine may be a good choice.

Antiangiogenic agents and chemotherapy in advanced non-small cell lung cancer: a clinical perspective

Antiangiogenic agents represent a major advance in the management of patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer receiving chemotherapy. While bevacizumab has been available for first-line treatment, other drugs, such as nintedanib, recently demontrated significant activity in the second-line setting. This review covers most recent results with antiangiogenic treatments, focusing on data relevant for routine clinical practice; recent results potentially leading to new agents approval are discussed. While biomarkers are still awaited to better-select patients for these approaches, the development of antiangiogenic agents represent a model for implementation in thoracic oncology, while highlighting the promise of a better outcome for patients with advanced lung cancer.