[Second-line chemotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer]

The progress in first-line chemotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer with efficient and often well-tolerated combinations has progressively led to the proposal of second-line chemotherapy for the patients. Docetaxel provides significantly enhanced survival compared with palliative treatments. Various phase II studies with vinorelbine, gemcitabine and paclitaxel have been reported. Pemetrexed has demonstrated identical enhanced survival as docetaxel, but with improved tolerance. An epothilone B analog is under study in clinical trials.