Article Details - Overview
New Developments in Maintenance Therapy and Novel Targeted Agents for Advanced Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer
1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™
Release Date: September 30, 2009
Expiration Date: September 30, 2010
Upon completion of this educational activity, you should be able to:
- Summarize clinical data on antifolate maintenance therapy for patients with advanced NSCLC
- Evaluate the efficacy of maintenance therapy with an EGFR TKI in advanced NSCLC
- Describe clinical data on maintenance therapy with an anti-VEGF MoAb plus an EGFR TKI in advanced NSCLC
- Assess clinical outcomes with an EGFR TKI as first-line treatment of advanced NSCLC by EGFR mutation subtype
- Evaluate the efficacy of an ALK/c-Met TKI in the treatment of advanced NSCLC harboring ALK fusion genes
- Discuss the efficacy of an irreversible EGFR/HER2 TKI in the treatment of advanced NSCLC harboring EGFR mutations
Authors
Medical writer: Bing-e Xu, PhD; Medical writer: Marissa Shrader, PhD; Reviewed by: Karen Kelly, MD
Overview and Purpose
Over 50% of the patients with non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are diagnosed with advanced-stage disease. Typically, patients are treated with a platinum-based frontline regimen for 4-6 cycles and single-agent second-line therapy upon disease progression. Recently, several phase III trials examined maintenance therapy in patients with advanced NSCLC. Maintenance therapy using either an antifolate or an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) demonstrated an overall survival (OS) benefit compared with placebo. Targeted agents, such as monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) against vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) or EGFR, have improved OS when added to first-line chemotherapy in advanced NSCLC. Recent data showed that an EGFR TKI was superior to first-line chemotherapy in patients with NSCLC harboring EGFR mutations. Finally, novel targeted agents, including inhibitors targeting anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) and second-generation irreversible EGFR TKIs, have demonstrated encouraging efficacy in selected patients with advanced NSCLC.
The purpose of this activity is to update physicians on maintenance therapy and novel targeted agents in advanced NSCLC.
Target Audience
This educational activity is intended for medical oncologists involved in the care of patients with NSCLC. No specific skills or knowledge other than a basic training in oncology is required for successful participation in this activity.
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