Annals of Oncology Advance Access originally published online on June 9, 2006
Annals of Oncology 2006 17(12):1743-1747; doi:10.1093/annonc/mdl117
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© 2006 European Society for Medical Oncology
reviews |
Gemcitabine and radiation therapy in non-small cell lung cancer: state of the art
Department of Radiotherapy-Oncology, Centre Hospitalier Lyon-Sud, Lyon, France
Correspondence to: Prof. F. Mornex, Département de Radiothérapie-Oncologie, Centre hospitalier Lyon-Sud, 165, Chemin du Grand Revoyet, 69495 Pierre-Bénite cedex, France. Tel: (+33) 478864253; Fax: (+33) 478864265; E-mail: francoise.mornex{at}chu-lyon.fr
Stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment is evolving. There are several choices available regarding which chemotherapy to use and how to optimally combine them with radiotherapy. Gemcitabine (Gemzar®, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, USA) is a chemotherapeutic agent with activity in NSCLC, and preclinical studies have shown that gemcitabine is a potent radiosensitizer. These two characteristics make gemcitabine a potential option when treating patients with stage III NSCLC. This review article describes the efficacy and tolerance of gemcitabine when combined with radiation in those patients. Gemcitabine used concurrently with radiation, as an induction regimen before radiation, and as a consolidation regimen after radiation is reviewed.
Key words: gemcitabine, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, chemoradiation, non-small cell lung cancer