[Clinical investigation of efficacy of third-line and beyond pemetrexed treatment in advanced non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer].

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Pemetrexed in combination with platinum or a single-agent has been approved for the first- and second-line treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the role of pemetrexed therapy in the third-line and beyond treatment of NSCLC has yet to be generally accepted. The present retrospective study reports the efficacy and safety of pemetrexed in the third-line and beyond treatment of advanced non-squamous NSCLC.

METHODS: A total of 46 patients with advanced non-squamous NSCLC received a combination of pemetrexed plus platinum or a single-agent after multi-line treatment failed to yield positive results.

RESULTS: Of the 46 patients who participated in the study, 7 achieved partial responses, 20 reached a stage of stable disease, and 19 reached a stage of progressive disease. The over-all object response rate was 15.2% and the disease control rate (DCR) was 58.7%. The median progression-free survival time was 3.0 months. Pemetrexed in combination with platinum yielded a higher DCR than the pemetrexed plus single-agent treatment (P=0.043). Common adverse events included nausea, vomiting and myelosuppression.

CONCLUSIONS: Administration of pemetrexed after failure of multi-line treatment is clinically beneficial to patients with advanced non-squamous NSCLC. The toxic effects of the treatment appear to be tolerable.