Medication for the treatment of lung cancer: Emphasis on aerosolized chemotherapy

Lung cancer is fast becoming the leading cause of death from malignant disease, not only in men but also in women. The prevention of lung cancer entails abstaining from cigarette smoking, which is the main risk factor. The low survival rate of patients suffering from lung cancer, along with the adverse side-effects of chemotherapy in current use, creates a fundamental need for the development of new therapeutic agents and new methods of administration. This review focuses on the anatomical and clinical pathology of lung cancer and the medications currently prescribed in clinical practice for its treatment. Emphasis is given to the administration of anticancer drugs using dry powder inhalers. Aerosolized chemotherapy is described and its advantages and disadvantages are delineated. Research programmes and clinical studies aiming at the formulation of the known anticancer drugs in dry powder aerosols are highlighted. Pneumon 2012, 25(3):298-304.