The Role of Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Sarada Gurubhagavatula; Thomas J. Lynch

doi:10.1055/s-2005-871988

Seminars in Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Table of Contents

Semin Respir Crit Care Med 2005; 26(3): 298-303
DOI: 10.1055/s-2005-871988

The Role of Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Sarada Gurubhagavatula¹ ^, ³ ^, ⁴ , Thomas J. Lynch²

¹Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
²Division of Hematology and Oncology, Massachusets General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
³Medical Oncology, North Shore Medical Center Cancer Center, Peabody, Massachusetts
⁴Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the United States. Patients with early stage NSCLC have a reasonable chance of cure with surgery, but unfortunately, fewer than half of all newly diagnosed NSCLC patients are surgical candidates. In addition, less than half of all patients treated with surgical resection alone are ultimately cured of their disease. As a result, several studies have emerged over the past decade examining the role of adjuvant chemotherapy as a means of improving outcomes in early-stage NSCLC. This article highlights the background and rationale, as well as the major findings, of each of these studies, namely, the British Medical Journal meta-analysis, the Adjuvant Lung Project Italy study, the Japanese Lung Cancer Research Group study, the International Adjuvant Lung Cancer Trial, the Cancer and Leukemia Group B 9633 study, and the JBR.10 study. From these collective studies, a new standard of care has emerged in the treatment of early-stage resected NSCLC: the use of adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy.

KEYWORDS

Chemotherapy - lung cancer - adjuvant

Full Text

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Sarada GurubhagavatulaM.D. M.P.H.

North Shore Medical Center Cancer Center

17 Centennial Dr., Peabody, MA 01960

Email: sgurubhagavatula@partners.org