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©2014 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Oncol. May 10, 2014; 5(2): 103-113
Published online May 10, 2014. doi: 10.5306/wjco.v5.i2.103
Published online May 10, 2014. doi: 10.5306/wjco.v5.i2.103
Maintaining clarity: Review of maintenance therapy in non-small cell lung cancer
Kristen R Dearing, Glen J Weiss, Department of Clinical Research, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Goodyear, AZ 85338, United States
Ashish Sangal, Glen J Weiss, Department of Medicine, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Goodyear, AZ 85338, United States
Glen J Weiss, CRAB-Clinical Trials Consortium, Seattle, WA 98101, United States
Author contributions: Dearing KR and Weiss GJ designed the review; Dearing KR and Sangal A retrieved the content for the review; all three authors analyzed the data and wrote the paper.
Correspondence to: Glen J Weiss, MD, MBA, Department of Clinical Research, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, 14200 W Celebrate Life Way, Goodyear, AZ 85338, United States. glen.weiss@ctca-hope.com
Telephone: +1-623-2073000 Fax: +1-623-2073003
Received: November 13, 2013
Revised: December 24, 2013
Accepted: March 17, 2014
Published online: May 10, 2014
Revised: December 24, 2013
Accepted: March 17, 2014
Published online: May 10, 2014
Core Tip
Core tip: This review article addresses the role of maintenance therapy in the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Maintenance therapy utilization in NSCLC patient population and review of current guidelines for maintenance therapy are discussed. A treatment algorithm was created to depict first line and second line treatment for managing NSCLC and includes molecular testing, maintenance therapy, and the role of clinical trials in the treatment of NSCLC. A comprehensive review of the achieved clinical benefit that maintenance therapy may or may not have on the NSCLC patient population is presented.