The optimum duration of front-line chemotherapy

摘要

Platinum-based chemotherapy represents the cornerstone of first-line treatment of advanced non-smail-cell-lung cancer,' but the optimum duration of therapy remains unclear.1 In practice, an initial response after two or three chemotherapy cycles is typically followed by a plateau in response, despite the administration of additional treatment. Whether this plateau is related to chemotherapy or to the biological background of the tumour cells is unknown. To draw reliable conclusions is difficult because of variations in study design and chemotherapy regimens.