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
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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