Aim: To compare survival outcomes in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with modern-era drugs (antifolates, antiangiogenics, tyrosine kinase and anaplastic lymphoma kinase inhibitors, immunotherapy) with treatment initiation in 2011-12 and 2015-16, respectively. Patients and Methods: Prospective data from Czech TULUNG Registry (960 patients from 2011-12 and 512 patients from 2015-16) were analyzed. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to estimate overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS); Cox proportional hazards model to assess factors associated with 2-year survival. Results: Survival at 2 years was more frequent in cohort 2015-16 compared to cohort 2011-12 (43.2% vs. 24% for adenocarcinoma; p<0.001 and 28.7% vs. 11.8% for squamous-cell lung carcinoma; p=0.002). Assignment to cohort 2015-16 and treatment multilinearity (two or more lines in sequence) were associated with higher probability of 2-year survival (hazard ratio=0.666 and hazard ratio=0.597; p<0.001). Comparison of 2-year survivors from both cohorts showed no differences. Conclusion: Survival at 2 years probability in stage IIIB-IV NSCLC doubled between 2011-12 and 2015-16; advanced-stage NSCLC may be considered a chronic disease in a large proportion of patients. With the exception of non-melanoma skin carcinoma, lung cancer is the leading form of cancer worldwide with alarming incidence and mortality. In 2018, as many as 2,093,876 new cases were reported worldwide (1) and Iung cancer claimed 1,761,007 lives (2). Incidence in Central and Eastern Europe in 2018 was 149,013 cases, while mortality was 131,369 (2). In the Czech Republic, 6,782 new cases of lung cancer were reported in 2016 (3). The most widely used anticancer agents in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) include various chemotherapeutic drugs as well as newer agents [antifolates, antiangiogenic drugs, tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitors and immunotherapy]. The newer drugs facilitate a more targeted and personalized treatment. Some of the newly synthesized agents reach even higher progression-free survival (PFS) 369 This article is freely accessible online.
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