REVIEWS   

Minerva Pneumologica 2007 December;46(4):261-74

Copyright © 2007 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Current therapies of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer

Heigener D. F., Reck M.

Department of Thoracic Oncology Grosshansdorf Hospital Grosshansdorf, Germany

In this review an overview of standard chemotherapies in chemonaive and pretreated non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients is given. New approaches like platinum free regimen are discussed as well as difficult therapeutical situations like chemotherapy in elderly or patients with reduced performance status. Results of targeted therapies like epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), tyrosinkinase inhibitors (TKI) and EGFR monoclonal antibodies in NSCLC are described and difficulties like the problem of predictive clinical and molecular markers are considered. Innovative treatment strategies like antiangiogenic therapy with the antivascular endothelial growth factor antibody bevacizumab and its impact on daily practice is described and an outlook on new drugs like the multikinase TKI is given.