Alvydas Česas, Aušra Bankauskaitė, Jolanta Česienė, Jūratė Kasnauskienė
Abstract
Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains the leading causeof cancer-related death. Platinum-based doublet chemotherapyhas been a standard for patients with advanced stage disease.Improvements in overall survival and quality of life have beenmodest. Over the past decade, a large number of studies havebeen published that aimed to target the molecular abnormalitiesimplicated in NSCLC tumor growth, invasion, metastasis,angiogenesis and resistance to apoptosis. EGFRs are a group oftransmembrane proteins that regulate key processes in the cell,such as proliferation, division, migration, and differentiation.Randomized phase III studies investigated the role of two EGFRTKIsinhibitors, gefitinib and erlotinib, as first-line treatmentcompared with standard platinum-based chemotherapy, inpatients affected by advanced NSCLC harboring EGFR activatingmutations. In all these trials the main endpoint was reached withEGFR-TKIs reporting a significant improvement in progressionfreesurvival (PFS) and overall response rate (ORR). Most commonside effect is skin rash, diarrhea, fatigue. In our institution we havebeen treating 8 patients with NSCLC harboring EGFR activatingmutations. Toxicity profile is similar as given in literature.
Keyword(s): lung cancer, EGFR mutation, platine dublets, adverse events, papulo-pustular rach
DOI: 10.5200/sm-hs.2014.090
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