Abstract
Introduction: Maintenance therapy (MT) with pemetrexed in nonsquamous non-small-cell lung cancer (NS-NSCLC) has been found to increase survival.
Aims and Objectives: The authors present a retrospective comparative study between MT with pemetrexed and conservative surveillance (CS) in advanced stage NS-NSCLC with no disease progression after induction with platin and pemetrexed.
Methods: Clinical and epidemiological variables were characterized in a population with NS-NSCLC and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS) 0 or 1, which initiated MT with pemetrexed after 4 to 6 cycles of induction with carbo or cisplatin and pemetrexed between the years 2012 and 2014.
Progression free survival (PFS) in MT group was compared with PFS of an historical population with NS-NSCLC and ECOG PS 0 or 1 that received 4 to 6 cycles of doublet with carbo or cisplatin and pemetrexed followed by CS.
Results: The MT group (N=16; median age of 62±9 years; 81% males) presented as stage IIIB in 13% or stage IV in 87%. The median number of induction cycles and maintenance cycles were, respectively, 4 (4-6) and 7 (2-20).
The CS group (N=17; median age of 63±6 years; 59% males) presented as stage IIIB in 6% or stage IV in 94%. The median number of doublet cycles was 5 (4-6).
Disease progression was more frequent in the CS group (100% vs 60%; P=0,006)
A trend towards longer PFS was found in the MT group (MT 7±1 months vs CS 4±1 months; P=0,07).
Conclusions: In our population of advanced stage NS-NSCLC, MT with pemetrexed prolonged PFS when compared with CS. The lower frequency of disease progression and the trend towards better PFS in the MT group suggests that maintenance therapy with pemetrexed is beneficial.
- Copyright ©ERS 2015
