UPDATE 1-Lung cancer patients live longer with Alimta -study

(Recasts, adds study details, doctor comment, background)

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor

WASHINGTON, May 15 (Reuters) - Adding a little extra chemotherapy after finishing the initial course helped advanced lung cancer patients live longer without having their tumors grow or come back, researchers reported on Thursday.

Patients with advanced lung cancer who took Eli Lilly and Co's (LLY.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) Alimta after finishing their normal course of chemotherapy lived cancer-free for two months or 40 percent longer than patients who took a placebo.

The preliminary results released ahead of the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) suggest that adding extra months of chemotherapy after a patient has finished the initial course, and before any tumors begin to come back, may help many live longer, doctors said.

As so-called progression-free survival translates into fewer symptoms, this could mean a significant benefit to the quality of life for lung cancer patients, experts said.

"This is the first study to show that lung cancer patients can benefit from maintenance therapy," said Dr. Tudor Ciuleanu of the Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Romania who led the study.

Ciuleanu's team is continuing the study to see whether adding Alimta, known generically as pemetrexed, helps overall survival as well.

Alimta is approved for a lung tumor called mesothelioma and also as a second-line treatment after progression for non-small-cell lung cancer.