Maintenance Therapy: Many Interpretations of the Leading Opt

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Maintenance Therapy: Many Interpretations of the Leading Options

March 22nd, 2013 - by Dr. Jack West

http://expertblog.lungevity.org/2013/03 ... g-options/

As explained by several leading experts around the US, here are the leading options for patients who have completed first line doublet chemotherapy without demonstrating progression. Briefly, the concept is that after a lung cancer has been treated aggressively with a combination chemo approach as first line treatment, we have three leading options to consider:

1) Continue one or more of the agents from first line as maintenance therapy (continuation maintenance therapy)

2) Stop all first line agents and switch to one or more new agents (switch maintenance therapy)

3) Take a break from treatment and re-start it after a fixed break (“take a month off”) or until scans show progressing disease

Here are a range of perspectives from several thoughtful experts who are trying to balance the desire to control the cancer with a hope for patients to enjoy the best quality of life as possible as well:

Click link above to view the following videos.

Dr. Ravi Salgia on “My Approach to Maintenance Therapy for Advanced NSCLC”

Dr. Sandler on Options for Maintenance Therapy: Switch, Continuation, or a Treatment Break?

Dr. Sarah Goldberg: The Potential Value of a Treatment Break as an Alternative to Maintenance Therapy in Advanced NSCLC

Dr. Phil Bonomi: Is Maintenance Therapy after First Line Chemotherapy a Mandate, An Option, or Neither?