[Stage IV non small cell bronchial carcinoma; first line therapy in 2007]

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer related deaths throughout the world, with a 5 year survival rate of 15%. However, significant improvements in median survival times and 1 and 2 year survival rates have been achieved in the last decade. This progress has been accomplished by the use of platinum based regimens with newer chemotherapeutic agents and, more recently, targeted therapy. For advanced stage non-small cell lung cancer chemotherapy prolongs survival and improves quality of life in patients with good performance status. Platinum based doublet chemotherapy regimes are now the standard care for patients with advanced stage NSCLC and non-platinum based combination therapies are reasonable alternatives for certain groups of patients. The combination of chemotherapy with vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors has been proven to prolong survival.