The long-term results of surgery +/- radiotherapy in patients with operable disease of locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer are discouraging. In the vast majority, disseminated microscopic disease, resulting in the later occurrence of distant metastases, contributes substantially to this poor long-term outcome. The further development of multimodality treatment approaches in randomised trials, including effective systemic therapy, is necessary. These approaches and the current status of multimodality treatment strategies of resectable locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer are discussed.
Michael Thomas, Petra Hoffknecht, Cornelia Droege, Andreas Baisch, Niels Reinmuth, Michael Kreuter, Tobias Lange, and Wolfgang E Berdel.
Department of Hematology, Medical Oncology and Respiratory Medicine, University of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer Str. 33, D-48129 Münster, Germany. mthomas@uni-muenster.de
Lung Cancer. 2004 Aug 1; 45 Suppl 2: S99-105.
AbstractThe long-term results of surgery +/- radiotherapy in patients with operable disease of locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer are discouraging. In the vast majority, disseminated microscopic disease, resulting in the later occurrence of distant metastases, contributes substantially to this poor long-term outcome. The further development of multimodality treatment approaches in randomised trials, including effective systemic therapy, is necessary. These approaches and the current status of multimodality treatment strategies of resectable locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer are discussed.