title: Three cases of long-lasting tumor control with erlotinib after progression with gefitinib in advanced non-small cell lung cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We report the cases of three patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer responding to erlotinib after progression under gefitinib treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three never-smoker women with advanced lung adenocarcinoma, two pretreated with chemotherapy and with gefitinib and one with gefitinib alone, received erlotinib in a daily dose of 150 mg. All three patients had disease progression and had achieved tumor control with gefitinib.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The first patient achieved partial response of lung lesions, the second had partial response of brain lesions and stable disease of lung and bone disease, and the third had partial response of brain lesions and stable disease of lung disease. At the time of this analysis, all three patients were still receiving treatment with erlotinib with no evidence of treatment failure after more than 13, 13, and 7 months, respectively. Erlotinib was generally well tolerated, with grade 1 skin toxicity recorded in two patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Erlotinib may be effective in patients with non-small cell lung cancer who were previously and successfully treated with gefitinib. However, careful selection of these patients is needed.
authors.affiliation: Division of Medical Oncology, S.G. Moscati Hospital, Avellino, Italy. cgridelli@libero.it
authors.forename: Cesare
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gridelli
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Maione
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Galetta
authors.forename: Guiseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Colantuoni
authors.forename: Filomena
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Del Gaizo
authors.forename: Carmine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ferrara
authors.forename: Ciro
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guerriero
authors.forename: Dario
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nicolella
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rossi
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000556:secondary; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000556:secondary; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D018450:Disease Progression; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D000069347:Erlotinib Hydrochloride; D005260:Female; D000077156:Gefitinib; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011799:Quinazolines / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors; D011799:Quinazolines; D000069347:Erlotinib Hydrochloride; D066246:ErbB Receptors; D000077156:Gefitinib