Research progress on criteria for discontinuation of EGFR inhibitor therapy.
The clinical success of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) as therapeutic agents has prompted great interest in their further development and clinical testing for a wide variety of malignancies. However, most studies have focused on the efficacy of TKI, and few studies have been done on the criteria for their discontinuation. The current standard for drug discontinuation is "until progression", based on change in tumor size. However, tumor size is not related to the gene expression which determines the efficacy of TKI in the final analysis, and it is also difficult to make a thorough and correct prediction based on tumor size when the TKI is discontinued. Nevertheless, clinical evaluation of the criteria for TKI discontinuation is still in its early days. Some promising findings have started to emerge. With the improving knowledge of EGFR and its inhibitors, it is expected that the criteria for discontinuation of EGFR inhibitor therapy will become clearer.
Department of Radiotherapy, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin Lung Cancer Center, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.
Hong-Qing
HQ
Zhuang
Zhi-Yong
ZY
Yuan
Jun
J
Wang
Ping
P
Wang
Lu-Jun
LJ
Zhao
Bai-Lin
BL
Zhang