Maintenance Therapy for Advanced Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer

Pemetrexed maintenance therapy has been shown to improve survival in patients with advanced non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that did not progress after induction therapy with a non–pemetrexed-containing platinum doublet regimen (Lancet 2009; 374:1432).

To describe the efficacy of pemetrexed maintenance after induction with a pemetrexed-containing regimen, investigators report final results of the industry-supported, phase III, randomized PARAMOUNT trial, involving 939 patients with stage IIIB to IV nonsquamous NSCLC. After receiving four cycles of induction with pemetrexed and cisplatin, 539 nonprogressors were randomized 2:1 to maintenance pemetrexed (500 mg/m² intravenously on day 1 of 21-day cycles) or placebo.

Progression-free survival…