GW786034 in Patients With Non Small Cell Lung Cancer 3rd Line

Lung Cancer is the most common cause of cancer death in the United States with an estimated mortality in excess of 160,000, more than the combined mortality seen with prostate, breast, colorectal cancers(1). Most patients with Lung Cancer have Non-Small Cell Lung Cancers( NSCLC) and only 25-30% of patients with NSCLC (Non Small Cell Lung Cancer) have resectable disease( Stage I or II) at the time of diagnosis. The vast majority of patients with advanced NSCLC (Non Small Cell Lung Cancer) are not curable and overall five year survival is 11%-14%1. Chemotherapy is beneficial for patients with locally advanced and metastatic disease. Numerous phase III studies have determined the superiority of systemic chemotherapy over best supportive care. Platinum based chemotherapy has been widely accepted as the standard of care for the initial treatment of advanced NSCLC. However first line chemotherapy is modest at best. A randomized trial comparing four of the most commonly used chemotherapy regimens in the United States not only failed to show a clearly superior arm but also confirmed the dismal prognosis of these patients. The response rate for all 1207 patients was 18.6% with a median survival of eight months and one year survival of 33.5 % and a two year survival of 12%5. Clearly a different paradigm is needed for the treatment of this disease.