The Efficacy of Pemetrexed-Based Therapy in Advanced Lung Adenocarcinoma with Targetable Driver Mutation: A Real-Life Experience

Abstract

cer-related deaths.1 Adenocarcinoma is the most common and the most investigated subtype among all the histological groups of lung cancer. Approximately 25% of patients with advanced adenocarcinoma have targetable driver mutations. This rate of occurrence is higher in non-smokers, young and female patients. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) are the most common type of targetable driver mutations in nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Besides, mutations in ROS-1, c-MET, B-RAF, and cErbB2 may occur rarely. Recently, there have been many therapeutic advances like the development of targeted therapy and the use of immune-checkpoint inhibitors for the treatment of lung cancer, especially adenocarcinoma subtype. However, chemotherapy remains an indispensable treatment option in advanced lung cancer. Pemetrexed, a multitargeted antifolate chemotherapy agent, was found to be effective in patients with lung adenocarcinoma as the first-line, second-line and maintenance therapy.2-4 Pemetrexed was granted conditional approval by the Food and Drug Association (FDA) for several steps of non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment. J Oncol Sci. 2020;6(1):43-8