Efficacy and safety of S-1 maintenance therapy in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer patients

Previous reports have demonstrated that S-1 has remarkable effects in the maintenance treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and has less toxic and side effects than conventional drugs.

To investigate the efficacy and safety of S-1 maintenance therapy in patients with advanced NSCLC.

Ninety-four patients with NSCLC admitted to our hospital from September 2015 to April 2018 were included in the study and divided into the S-1 group (47 cases) and the gemcitabine group (47 cases) by random digital table method. The S-1 group was treated with S-1, while the gemcitabine group received gemcitabine treatment. The clinical efficacy and quality of life of the patients after treatment in the two groups were evaluated.

There was no significant difference in the total effectiveness rate between the two groups (P = 0.519). The quality-of-life scores indicated that there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of four dimensions of the GQOLI-74 questionnaire (P = 0.518, 0.094, 0.338, 0.418). The incidence of nausea and vomiting, granulocytopenia and diarrhea in the S-1  group was significantly lower than that in the gemcitabine group (P = 0.001, 0.001 and 0.001, respectively). There was no significant difference in the incidence of thrombocytopenia (P = 0.366), the progression-free survival (P = 0.064), and the survival between the two groups (P = 0.050).

S-1 maintenance therapy shows a significant therapeutic effect in patients with advanced NSCLC. It has the same clinical efficacy as gemcitabine, but with less toxic and side effects than conventional drugs.