Novel chemotherapeutic agents in the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer

Abstract

Purpose: This study attempted to identify novel chemotherapeutic agents with greater than 15% activity in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Design: An English language literature search, which included abstracts and original articles, and a review of bibliographies of identified articles, were used.

Results: Nine new agents, analogs, or old agents used in new doses or schedules were identified: CPT-11, topotecan, taxol, taxotere, Navelbine (Burroughs Wellcome, Research Triangle Park, NC), chronic oral etoposide, edatrexate, gemcitabine, and high-dose epirubicin. Results of phase I and II trials that involved these agents alone or as part of combination regimens are presented.

Conclusion: Several new chemotherapeutic agents with activity against NSCLC are now available. Response rates compare favorably with those of available standard drugs. These new drugs are being integrated into multiagent combinations. Large-scale phase III trials that compare these new combinations with current standard approaches will be necessary to determine whether or not these new drugs will have a positive impact on survival in patients with NSCLC.