Comparison of anlotinib combined with docetaxel versus single docetaxel as second-line treatment beside radiotherapy for advanced non-small cell lung cancer: Efficacy and safety

This study compared the efficacy and safety of anlotinib combined with docetaxel versus docetaxel alone in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), assessing overall survival (OS), disease control rate (DCR), and incidence of adverse events (AE). 128 patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer were randomly divided into ACD group (n=64) and DOC group (n=64). They were treated with ACD and Docetaxel alone, respectively. They received routine blood, urine, stool examination, fecal occult blood, blood biochemistry and tumor markers. The post-treatment CEA and VEGF levels in the ACD group were sharply lower to those in the DOC group (P<0.05). DCR in the ACD group was 79.7%, which was much higher in comparison to the 60.9% in the DOC group (P<0.05). The overall response rate (ORR) of ACD was 23.4%, slightly higher than the 17.2% of DOC. The incidence of hand-foot syndrome (HFS), hypertension, and hemoptysis in the ACD group was significantly higher than in the DOC group. Anlotinib combined with docetaxel for second-line treatment of advanced NSCLC enhanced the DCR, downregulated CEA and VEGF levels and prolonged progression-free survival (PFS) compared to docetaxel alone.