Efficacy and safety of S-1 maintenance therapy in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer patients

BACKGROUND: Previous reports have demonstrated that S-1 has remarkable effects in the maintenance treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and has less toxic and side effects than conventional drugs. AIM: To investigate the efficacy and safety of S-1 maintenance therapy in patients with advanced NSCLC. METHODS: Ninety-four patients with NSCLC admitted to our hospital from September 2015 to April 2018 were included in the study and divided into the S-1 group (47 cases) and the gemcitabine group (47 cases) by random digital table method. The S-1 group was treated with S-1, while the gemcitabine group received gemcitabine treatment. The clinical efficacy and quality of life of the patients after treatment in the two groups were evaluated. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the total effectiveness rate between the two groups (P = 0.519). The quality-of-life scores indicated that there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of four dimensions of the GQOLI-74 questionnaire (P = 0.518, 0.094, 0.338, 0.418). The incidence of nausea and vomiting, granulocytopenia and diarrhea in the S-1 group was significantly lower than that in the gemcitabine group (P = 0.001, 0.001 and 0.001, respectively). There was no significant difference in the incidence of thrombocytopenia (P = 0.366), the progression-free survival (P = 0.064), and the survival between the two groups (P = 0.050). CONCLUSION: S-1 maintenance therapy shows a significant therapeutic effect in patients with advanced NSCLC. It has the same clinical efficacy as gemcitabine, but with less toxic and side effects than conventional drugs.