Abstract
Conventional therapy of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) results in an average survival time of 8-10 months. The objective is to achieve better outcomes by providing tailored therapy that would be as effective as possible.
Novel molecular biological methods that make it possible to influence the tumour cell at the subcellular level are very helpful in this regard. Thus, biologically targeted treatment has been at the forefront of interest.
Considerable efforts have also been made to identify prognostic and predictive factors. Recent clinical studies have reported histology and the EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) gene mutations to be useful predictors of clinical outcome.
Based on the results of clinical studies, maintenance therapy is newly presented as a therapeutic option aimed at delaying progression of the disease and prolonging survival.