Platinum-based chemotherapy should be used for cancer patients who are deemed to have a high chance of recurrence, HealthDay News reports.

British and French researchers reviewed almost 50 studies of patients with operable non-small cell lung cancer in order to determine the effect of chemotherapy in conjunction with similar treatments.

In the first meta-analysis of 34 studies involving nearly 8,500 patients, they found that survival at five years was 64 per cent for those who had chemotherapy and surgery, and 60 per cent for those who only had surgery.

Similarly, the second meta-analysis of 13 studies with 2,660 patients recorded a survival rate at five years of 33 per cent for patients who had surgery plus radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and 29 per cent for those who had surgery plus radiotherapy alone.

The researchers concluded that the findings appeared to confirm that chemotherapy was beneficial for the cancer patients, regardless of other variables in the trials.

"Platinum-based chemotherapy should be considered for patients at high risk of recurrence - ie, those with stage 1B, 2 or 3 disease," Sarah Burdett, from the Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Unit in London, told the news provider.

Initially released on Wednesday (23rd March), the test results will also be included in the next issue of The Lancet journal.

The first modern chemotherapeutic agent was arsphenamine, an arsenic compound discovered in 1909 by Paul Ehrlich and used to treat syphilis.

Source:

Chemo May Boost Survival After Lung Cancer Surgery (24/03/10)

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