[Treatment of non-small cell lung cancer - where we are?]

Abstract

Lung cancer is the most common cancer in Poland and in the world, unfortunately diagnosed too late, and combined with a very poor prognosis. For most patients with NSCLC the only possibility of treatment is palliative therapy, including chemotherapy and, in the recent years, molecular targeted therapy. In first-line treatment, cisplatine-based "doublets" are most effective, and in second-line, pemetreksed and docetaxel are used. Recently, maintenance chemotherapy has been introduced. Although standard chemotherapy improves the quality of life in the patients with advanced NSCLC, due to significant toxicity such treatment should be applied only in patients in good performance status. The introduction of targeted therapy, based on the molecular profile of the patient has allowed the management to be personalized, which may result in more effective treatment and may be safer for the patient.