The role of maintenance treatment in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: reality or early second line?

First-line platinum-based chemotherapy has reached a plateau of effectiveness for the treatment of patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In patients who reported a stable disease, no more than 4 cycles of chemotherapy are recommended while a maximum of 6 cycles is recommended in patients who are responding to therapy. A potential strategy with the aim of improving outcomes for NSCLC patients is to administer more therapy. This term includes different approaches: duration of therapy, sequential therapy, consolidation therapy, and maintenance therapy. Here, we attempt to define the different approaches that fall under the rubric of maintenance strategy, and discuss the results available to date.