Aim: The aim of this systematic literature review was to describe treatment patterns in nonmetastatic non-small-cell lung cancer. Methods: A search was conducted in MEDLINE and EMBASE. Eligible studies were multicentered (>50 patients) and conducted after 2000 in North America, Europe and Asia. Results: Twenty studies met the eligibility criteria. Based on US and Canadian studies in the resectable population, the proportion of patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy/chemoradiotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy/chemoradiotherapy increased with increasing stage (i.e., from <3% in stage I to about 40% in stage III and from 15% in stage I to 30% in stage III, respectively). Within the resectable population, the breakdown between bimodal and trimodal therapy was variable, suggesting that clinical practice is not uniform. Conclusion: Overall, studies were heterogeneous, precluding data extrapolation across regions. Despite heterogeneity and limited evidence, this review suggested an increase in neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy with increasing stage, generally in line with treatment guidelines.
Keywords: adjuvant; chemotherapy; neoadjuvant; non-small-cell lung cancer; resectable; surgery; treatment pattern.
This literature review aimed to describe the treatment patterns in nonmetastatic non-small-cell lung cancer. This review was performed according to the highest methodological standards and searched published and unpublished records of stages I–III non-small-cell lung cancer treatment in North America, Europe and Asia. A limited number of studies were identified showing that in North America treatment with neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy (with or without radiotherapy) increased with stage. Identified studies in all regions showed that the treatment received, such as bimodal with surgery and chemotherapy compared with trimodal with surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, was quite variable and that practice was not uniform. Overall, the studies were heterogeneous and data could not be extrapolated to practice across all regions. However, the studies suggested an increase in neoadjuvant and adjuvant usage with increasing stage, which is generally in line with treatment guidelines.