Personalized maintenance therapy in advanced non-small cell lung cancer

Maintenance therapy is a treatment strategy that can prolong survival in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The increased survival achieved with maintenance therapy has led to new treatment options that should be chosen in accordance with the preferences of patients and physicians. Personalized maintenance therapy involves identification of histological subtypes and molecular features of tumors, thereby improving treatment outcomes. Many clinical trials have been conducted to establish new treatment strategies for patients with advanced NSCLC with non-squamous cell histology. The discovery of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations was the most significant innovation for personalized therapy in NSCLC patients. First generation EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) such as gefitinib and erlotinib have significantly contributed to greatly increased survival in specific patients harboring activating EGFR mutations such as exon 19 deletion and L858R point mutation. Based on clinical trials of different maintenance therapy strategies, we identified the regimen is the most promising and highlighted for patients whom should be given specific kinds of therapy now and in future studies.