Long-term clinical response of advanced lung adenocarcinoma to maintenance treatment of gemcitabine: A case report

RATIONALE: Advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is an aggressive malignancy that generally leads to poor outcomes, with <5% long-term survival at 5 years; however, several researches have shown improvements in the progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) on the maintenance therapy after the first-line chemotherapy. we report a case of metastatic NSCLC patient treated with maintenance therapy of gemcitabine with brilliant results. PATIENT CONCERNS: Clinical data and treatment of a 68-year-old man with NSCLC are summarized. The Ethics Committee of People's hospital of Leshan, approved this study. DIAGNOSIS: Lung adenocarcinoma metastasized to the mediastinal lymph node, cervical lymph node, and adrenal gland, without epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation. INTERVENTIONS: Continued treatment with gemcitabine alone following the 6 cycles of cisplatin–gemcitabine chemotherapy, prolonging the interval of chemotherapy when he could not tolerate the toxicity of the drug. OUTCOMES: Partial response of the disease for 4.5 years and significant clinical benefit. LESSONS: This case shows that patients will benefit from the maintenance therapy, and gemcitabine may be a good choice.