First-line gefitinib treatment for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer with poor performance status

Best supportive care only is recommended for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with poor performance status (PS) of Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group 3 or 4. Recently, the possibility of using epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy has been reported for poor PS patients harboring EGFR mutations.

We retrospectively analyzed 74 patients with advanced NSCLC who were treated with first-line gefitinib during hospitalization for Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group PS 3 or 4. All patients were classified according to three clinical parameters: smoking history, gender, and histology type.

The median age was 64 years (range, 35-86 years). The proportions of females, never smokers, and adenocarcinoma were 51.4%, 54.1%, and 78.4%, respectively. An overall response rate, median progression-free survival (PFS), and median overall survival (OS) was 27.0%, 32 days (95% confidence interval [CI], 22-48 days), and 61 days (95% CI, 7-115 days), respectively. Female gender, never smoking, and adenocarcinoma histology were strong predictors of tumor response. Never smoking and adenocarcinoma were independent predictors of better PFS but not of OS. Seven patients experienced treatment-related adverse effects of grade 3 to 4, which included anorexia (n = 2), pneumonitis (n = 4), and elevated liver enzymes (n = 1). Never-smoker females with adenocarcinoma exhibited a response rate of 50.0%, median PFS of 130 days (95% CI, 51-209 days), and median OS of 236 days (95% CI, 150-322 days).

Gefitinib may provide clinical benefits for patients with NSCLC with poor PS who were selected according to clinically favorable parameters.