Pemetrexed in second line treatment of non-small cell lung cancer - The Portuguese experience

Until 2004, docetaxel in monotherapy was the standard for second-line treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Pemetrexed (P) has shown similar activity in this setting with a better adverse event profile. In Portugal, it was introduced in October of 2004. We have carried out a retrospective analysis of patients (pts) who received P for second-line NSCLC in Portugal from October 2004 to December 2006. Data were collected from the records of pts with locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC and failed first-line chemotherapy enrolled in centers participating in the Portuguese Lung Cancer Study Group (GECP). Objective response (OR; complete [CR] or partial [PR] response) was evaluated using RECIST and safety was assessed using serious or non-serious adverse events (SAEs/AEs). By December 2006, 19 GECP centers had enrolled 244 pts who had received P for >= 1 cycle, and were considered evaluable for both objective response and safety. Demography: male/female, 175/69; median age, 57.0 years (range 20-81); smoking status, y/ex/n, 116/57/71; adenocarcinoma / squamous-cell carcinoma/other histology, 141/72/31; mean time to progression (TTP) 8.07 months. Disease control in 209 evaluable pts was observed in 116 (55.5%): 2 CR, 45 PR and 69 SD; mean TTP 4.70 months. The majority of AEs were grade 3 anemia (15 pts) and neutropenia (18 pts). The mean overall survival was 17.27 months. Our retrospective analysis has observed a similar disease control rate with P in 2nd line (55.5%), and TTP (4.7 months) in our current unselected population to that published in the literature. P is an option for second-line NSCLC with a good tolerability.