Abstract: More than 47% of cases of all NSCLC are diagnosed in patients over the age of 70 years.Elderly patients have more comorbidities and tend to be less tolerant to toxic medical treatments than younger.Thus,clinical data obtained in a younger population cannot be automatically extrapolated to the great majority of nonselected elderly patients with Non-small Cell Lung Cancer(NSCLC).The bulk of prospective clinical data regarding chemotherapy and molecularly targeted therapy for elderly NSCLC patients come from studies in advanced disease.In elderly advanced NSCLC patients,single-agent chemotherapy with third-generation agents(vinorelbine,gemcitabine,taxanes)is to be considered the routine standard of care for unselected patients,based on phase Ⅱ and Ⅲ trials specifically designed for this special population.Cisplatin-based chemotherapy with cisplatin at has been demonstrated to be an active and feasible option in phase Ⅱ trials.Among targeted therapies,the epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors,erlotinib and gefitinib,antivascular endothelial growth factor monoclonal antibody,bevacizumab,have relevant phase Ⅱ prospective data showing activity and good tolerability as first-line treatment in this population.In this article,we review progress on chemotherapy for elderly advanced NSCLC.

Key words: Eledly, Non-small Cell Lung Cancer, Chemotherapy