The Lancet published a study on Monday showing a increased survival rate for patients with lung cancer.  The study revealed patients suffering from nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who were treated with Alimta and best supportive care on the average had over five months increased survival than patients who received the placebo plus best supportive care after the received initial chemotherapy.

This study is important because it suggests maintenance therapy as a regular practice and highlights the important of histology in choosing treatment options for nonsquamous NSCLC patients.  Maintenance therapy is used with other types of cancer, but is not standard practice for non-small cell lung cancer.  Histologies refer to the various tumor types which fall under the NSCLC category.

Read the about the study:  Significant Survival Benefit for Patients Facing Deadly Form of Lung Cancer