title: EGFR inhibitors in lung cancer.
abstract: Targeted therapies inhibiting the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) have been introduced in the treatment of patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Many inhibitors of the EGFR have been developed, targeting either the extracellular receptor domain with antibodies or the intracellular tyrosine kinase binding domain with small molecules. The tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) gefitinib (Iressa) was the first targeted drug to be registered for the treatment of NSCLC after failure of chemotherapy. Given concurrently together with platinum combination chemotherapy both TKIs gefitinib and erlotinib (Tarceva) failed to increase activity. Sequential targeted therapy after chemotherapy is currently being investigated further. Studies with the monoclonal antibody cetuximab (Erbitux) combined with chemotherapy are ongoing. Side effects of the small molecules are mainly skin rash and diarrhea, whereas the antibodies do not give diarrhea. Selection of patients, based on molecular markers and patient characteristics, has become an important issue for the further development of these drugs, given there is activity in a relatively small group of patients with NSCLC. Newer drugs inhibiting more than one receptor pathway are being investigated in order to find activity in a broader group of patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Vrije Universiteit Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Buter
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Giaccone
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000188:drug therapy; D018849:Controlled Clinical Trials as Topic; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D000069347:Erlotinib Hydrochloride; D000077156:Gefitinib; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D018579:Patient Selection; D011799:Quinazolines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017211:Treatment Failure
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D011799:Quinazolines; D000069347:Erlotinib Hydrochloride; D066246:ErbB Receptors; D000077156:Gefitinib