Inoperable stage III non-small cell lung cancer: Current treatment and role of vinorelbine

Most lung cancer patients are diagnosed with a non-resectable disease; and around 40% in advanced stages. Stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a heterogeneous disease with great variations in its clinical extent which presents a major therapeutic challenge. Although chemo-radiotherapy treatment has become the most widely used, there is currently no consensus on the best standard treatment and the experience of the therapy team plays an important role in the decision taking. We review the treatment of inoperable stage III NSCLC and the role of concomitant vinorelbine in this clinical scenario.