Abstract

Background: Most patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have a poor prognosis and receive limited benefit from conventional treatments, especially in later lines of therapy. In recent years, several novel therapies have been approved for second- and third-line treatment of advanced NSCLC beyond old chemotherapy agents (docetaxel and pemetrexed) and the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI, erlotinib). In particular, the new antiangiogenetics (nindetanib and ramucirumab) in combination with docetaxel and immunotherapy (nivolumab, pembrolizumab and atezolizumab) have been recently approved and represent new treatment options.

Methods: The Italian Association of Thoracic Oncology (AIOT) organized five meetings in different Italian regions representing North, Middle and South of the country in order to discuss the issue.

Results: In light of these new approvals, it is valuable to understand the uptake of these new therapies in routine clinical practice and their impact on patient care. With these treatment options to define an appropriate algorythm is object of debate.

Conclusion: The present paper discusses the old and new treatment opportunities, proposing a shared algorithm for second-line setting in advanced NSCLC.

Keywords: Antiangiogenetics, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, non-small cell lung cancer, second- line treatment, epidermal growth factor receptor.

Graphical Abstract