Systemic Treatment of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide, and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for about 85% of all cases of lung cancer. Most patients present with advanced disease and five-year survival is low at about 15%. Surgery is the main treatment for early stage disease. If patients are deemed inoperable, systemic chemotherapy is considered. For patients with locally advanced disease, multimodality therapy is administered where chemotherapy is given in combination with definitive radiation therapy or surgery in selected cases. Cytotoxic chemotherapy regimens mainly consist of a platinum doublet. Biologic agents are increasingly being incorporated into treatment regimens.

This pocketbook summarises the latest evidence-based and practical information on the use of systemic therapies in the management of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), for early stage, locally advanced, and metastatic disease. Including contributions from leading thoracic oncologists from North America and Europe, the book covers the range of therapies currently available to clinicians including cytotoxic chemotherapy, biologic therapies, and other novel agents. This book will serve as an invaluable reference for all health care professionals involved in the management of patients with NSCLC.

Giuseppe Giaccone, M.D., Ph.D. is an internationally recognized expert in the field of lung cancer and developmental therapeutics. Dr. Giaccone received his M.D. cum laude from the University of Torino Medical School in 1980, followed by training in clinical oncology and internal medicine, which he completed at the University of Torino in 1988. He spent the next two years in the NCI's Medical Oncology Branch. Following his training at the NCI, Dr. Giaccone received his Ph.D. from the Free University Medical Center in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. He then served as a senior medical oncologist at the Medical Center from 1990 to 2000, when he was appointed Professor of Medical Oncology. Dr. Giaccone became Head of the Center's Department of Medical Oncology in 2003. Dr. Giaccone has published more than 400 peer-reviewed papers and contributed to more than 30 book chapters. He has also played a major role in the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC).