Background The treatment for stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) often involves multi-modality treatment. This retrospective study aimed to evaluate whether multidisciplinary team (MDT) discussion results in better patient survival. Materials and methods MDT discussion was optional before February 2016 and was actively encouraged by the MDT committee beginning February 2016. We reviewed the medical charts and computer records of patients with stage III NSCLC between January 2013 and December 2018. Results A total of 515 patients were included. The median survival of all the patients was 33.9 months (M). The median survival of patients who were treated after MDT discussion was 41.2 M and that of patients treated without MDT discussion was 25.7 M (p = 0.018). The median survival of patients treated before February 2016 was 25.7 M and that of patients treated after February 2016 was 33.9 M (p = 0.003). The median survival of patients with stage IIIA tumors and those with stage IIIB tumors was 39.4 M and 25.7 M, respectively (p = 0.141). Multivariate analysis showed that MDT or not (p<0.001), T staging (p = 0.009), performance status (p<0.001), and surgery (p = 0.016) to be significant prognostic factors.

Pemetrexed-based combination chemotherapy is preferred before a more efficient treatment strategy is found.

Background. Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) has been used for thousands of year in Eastern countries. First-line epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment is the standard treatment in stage IV pulmonary adenocarcinoma patients who had tumor EGFR mutations. This study was to find the efficacy of CHM on lung cancer treatment. Materials and Methods. We retrospectively reviewed chart records of our stage IV EGFR-mutated pulmonary adenocarcinoma patients who received first-line EGFR-TKI treatment from January 2010 to September 2014. Results. Total, 527 patients were studied. Among them, 34 patients received CHM treatment, including 24 patients who received CHM treatment from the beginning of first-line EGFR-TKI treatment and 10 patients who started to receive CHM treatment after their disease had progressed to EGFR-TKI treatment. Median progression-free survival (PFS) of first-line EGFR-TKI treatment was numerically better in patients who also received CHM than those who did not (12.1 months vs 10.5 months, P = .7668). Overall survival of those 24 patient who received CHM treatment together with EGFR-TKI was 30.63 months (95% CI = 11.7 to not reached), compared to 23.67 months in the remaining patients (95% CI = 21.37-26; hazard ratio = 0.75; P = .399). No increase of CHM-related toxicities was found during CHM treatment, compared with EGFR-TKI treatment alone (P > .05). Conclusion. Alternative CHM treatment during first-line EGFR-TKI treatment did no harm to the patients and PFS and overall survival was numerically better, although not significant, than those patients who did not receive CHM treatment.