Pemetrexed: its promise in treating non-small-cell lung cancer.

TL;DRAbstract

The use of chemotherapy in the treatment of early and advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has increased during the past decade. One of the main reasons for the increased acceptance of chemotherapy is the development of several new cytotoxic agents with a unique mechanism(s) of action and high single-agent activity, combined with a favorable toxicity profile. Pemetrexed (Alimta) is a novel antifolate that inhibits several enzymes involved in DNA synthesis (thymidylate synthase [TS], dihydrofolate reductase [DHFR], and glycinamide ribonucleotideformyltransferase [GARFT]). Pemetrexed's toxicity is markedly reduced by folic acid and vitamin B12 supplementation. The compound has been studied extensively in various tumor types, including NSCLC. In NSCLC, pemetrexed at 500 mg/m2, every 3 weeks, given i.v. over 10 minutes, has shown promising activity, and can safely be administrated with vitamin supplementation. After registration, single-agent pemetrexed will certainly add to the che

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