2024 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) - ePosters-EP.12A.37 Erlotinib: A Beacon of Hope in EGFR TKI-Progressed Lung Cancer, A Real-World Experience from a Tertiary Care Cancer Centre in South India

EP.12A.37 Erlotinib: A Beacon of Hope in EGFR TKI-Progressed Lung Cancer, A Real-World Experience from a Tertiary Care Cancer Centre in South India

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The study "Erlotinib: A Beacon of Hope in EGFR TKI-Progressed Lung Cancer" explores the use of Erlotinib as a treatment for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with EGFR mutations who have previously progressed on other EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), such as Osimertinib or Gefitinib. Conducted at a tertiary care cancer center in South India, this retrospective analysis covers patients treated from 2011 to 2024.<br /><br />Osimertinib, though effective as a first-line treatment, is prohibitively expensive for many in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs). Currently, no standard treatment exists for patients who progress on Osimertinib, creating a need for alternative therapies. Erlotinib, already used after progression on prior EGFR TKIs, was evaluated for its efficacy and safety.<br /><br />In this study, 32 patients with median age of 52 participated, where majority had adenocarcinoma (94%) and were never smokers (87.5%). Histologically, 53% possessed an exon 19 deletion in the EGFR gene. The line of therapy with Erlotinib varied, with some patients using it as second, third, fourth, or fifth line treatment. <br /><br />The results showed a disease control rate of 57.6%. The median duration of response was 8.2 months, median event-free survival (EFS) was 73 days, and median overall survival (OS) was 247 days. Patients with exon 19 deletion showed a notably longer median EFS compared to those with exon 21 mutations. Grade 2 skin rash and diarrhea were noted as side effects.<br /><br />Conclusively, Erlotinib demonstrates potential benefits for EFGR-mutated NSCLC patients who have limited access to newer TKIs like Osimertinib, offering a viable treatment alternative, particularly in resource-constrained settings. Further studies on the molecular mechanisms are suggested to optimize its use in such scenarios.

Asset Subtitle

Pragadeesh Thamarai Selvan

Meta Tag

Speaker Pragadeesh Thamarai Selvan

Topic Metastatic Non-small Cell Lung Cancer – Targeted Therapy

Keywords

Erlotinib

EGFR mutations

non-small cell lung cancer

NSCLC

tyrosine kinase inhibitors

Osimertinib

Gefitinib

exon 19 deletion

disease control rate

resource-constrained settings