title: Advanced non-small-cell lung cancer with epidermal growth factor receptor mutations: current evidence and future perspectives.
abstract: The identification of activating mutations in the tyrosine kinase domain of the EGF receptor (EGFR) predictive of response to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) led to a therapeutic revolution in the treatment of patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). To date, eight randomized clinical trials have demonstrated that first-line treatment with TKIs in advanced NSCLC patients harboring activating EGFR mutations is associated with significant improvement in response rate, progression-free survival, quality of life and tolerability, compared with platinum-based chemotherapy. These results prompted the EGFR TKIs as the current standard first-line treatment of patients with advanced NSCLC harboring activating EGFR mutations. However, there are several questions that need to be addressed, including the best choice among different EGFR TKIs, the treatment of resistant disease and of patients with specific clinical conditions. Ongoing and future, well-designed trials should answer all these questions.
authors.affiliation: Thoraco-Pulmonary Department, Medical Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori "Fondazione G.Pascale" - IRCCS Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Raffaele
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Costanzo
authors.forename: Agnese
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Montanino
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Di Maio
authors.forename: Maria Carmela
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Piccirillo
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sandomenico
authors.forename: Pasqualina
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Giordano
authors.forename: Gennaro
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Daniele
authors.forename: Renato
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Franco
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Perrone
authors.forename: Gaetano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rocco
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Normanno
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Morabito
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D009154:Mutation; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011788:Quality of Life; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors; D066246:ErbB Receptors