[Treatment of advanced non-small cell bronchial cancer--a review of the literature of the last 5 years].

In the course of a metaanalysis concerning adjuvant therapy and the therapy of inoperable non-small-cell carcinoma of the lung, undertaken from 1.1. 1985 to 1.5. 1990, 376 publications were evaluated on a point system based on a decision tree. Out of a maximum of 71 obtainable points only 5.4% of the publications on adjuvant therapy and only 7.3% of publications on palliative therapy obtained more than 45 points. Regarding inoperable cases X-ray therapy with a median survival of 11 months and satisfactory life quality demonstrated the best results. Significant increases in survival are also possible with chemotherapy (7.4 months) in standard-dose pair combinations which, however, are associated with negative side effects on the treated patients. Immune and radio-chemotherapy cannot be recommended on account of treatment toxicity without a gain in life quality. Adjuvant therapy shows no life-prolonging effect. Consequently surgical treatment remains the first choice of therapy.