Therapeutic Strategies for Combined-Modality Therapy of Locally Advanced-Stage Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer: Rationale for Consolidation Docetaxel Therapy

Currently, there is no accepted standard of care for locally advanced and surgically unresectable non-smallcell lung cancer. Typically, treatment for patients with good performance status consists of a combination of chemotherapy and thoracic radiation therapy (RT), but the integration of these modalities and the respective dose schedules vary considerably. Herein, we review the rationale for a treatment paradigm employing consolidation docetaxel therapy after concurrent chemotherapy/RT and the results of recent clinical trials using this approach.