[Advance of second-line chemotherapy in advanced non-small cell lung cancer.]

There is a temporal disease-free period after 1st line chemotherapy in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), most of patients need 2nd line chemotherapy. The recommended drugs in the 2nd line were docetaxel, pemetrexed and epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs). Single docetaxel is the established therapy for second-line treatment of NSCLC.Pemetexem was validated its indication in the 2nd line in advanced NSCLC through a phase III randomised clinical trial which was compared with docetaxel. Although there were little toxicity, the further research can't find the survival benefit in high dose pemetrexed. EGFR-TKIs target therapy is a hot spot now. Gefitinib and erlotinib monotherapy have a good efficacy in the 2nd line. The research of gefitinib versus traditional chemotherapy manifested that its efficacy was no less than docetaxel, and was less toxicitity . The comparison of erlotinib with chemotherapy is going on. There are more and more other drugs proved their effect in the 2nd line, such as the efficacy of oral toptecan and vinflunine were similar to docetaxel.