Pemetrexed for advanced stage nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer: Latest evidence about its extended use and outcomes

Pascale Tomasini, Fabrice Barlesi, Celine Mascaux, Laurent Greillier

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

41 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is still the leading cause of cancer-related death, and the treatment of advanced NSCLC relies on systemic treatments. During the last decade, pemetrexed, an antifolate agent, gradually became a key component of the treatment for patients with advanced nonsquamous NSCLC. It has indeed been shown to be efficient for first-line, maintenance and second- or third-line treatment in this subgroup of NSCLC. Moreover, it is usually well tolerated, with few grade 3 and 4 toxicities. Several studies have tried to identify predictive biomarkers of pemetrexed efficacy. Due to pemetrexed's mechanism of action, thymidilate synthase expression predictive value was investigated but could not be demonstrated. Currently, more than 400 trials of pemetrexed for the treatment of nonsquamous NSCLC are ongoing.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)198-208
Number of pages11
JournalTherapeutic Advances in Medical Oncology
Volume8
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 May 2016
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • lung cancer
  • nonsquamous
  • pemetrexed
  • survival
  • tolerability

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